HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES

H.B. NO.

918

TWENTY-NINTH LEGISLATURE, 2017

H.D. 1

STATE OF HAWAII

 

 

 

 

 

 

A BILL FOR AN ACT

 

 

RELATING TO EARLY INTERVENTION.

 

 

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF HAWAII:

 


     SECTION 1.  The department of health provides early intervention services, from birth to age three years, to infants and toddlers who have a developmental delay or are at biological risk for delay in communication, cognitive, physical, social-emotional, or adaptive development.  Early intervention services are mandated by part C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act and under state law.

     The legislature finds that access to early intervention services, combined with parent coaching, reduces the severity of developmental delay and better prepares families of children with complex needs who may require lifelong care and support.  Studies have shown the benefits of early intervention services, including improvements in children's verbal abilities, receptive language scores, and overall cognitive performance.  Early intervention services also translate to additional benefits for children as they age, including improvements in academic performance, endorsement of less risky behaviors, fewer arrests, and lower dropout rates.  A 2003 report from the Federal Reserve Bank of Minneapolis found an economic advantage of quality intervention services equal to an $8 return for every $1 invested in early intervention.  The report also estimated that eighty per cent of the benefits were directly applicable to overall society, due to a more efficient use of school services and less use of criminal justice and other public systems.

     The legislature further finds that the department of health's early intervention section data system is antiquated and lacks the web-based capability for real-time access to data, access from multiple locations, service documentation, report generation, quality assurance, and billing functions.  The legislature notes that thirty-four other states have web-based early intervention data systems.

     The legislature additionally finds that the department of health provides early intervention services through twenty state and purchase-of-service programs for approximately 3,500 children each year.  This large system of services requires an updated web-based system.  The proposed data system will increase efficiency and quality in providing early intervention services by streamlining program and administrative processes, automating processes that are currently done by paper or manually, and improving accountability.  The proposed data system will also reduce inefficiencies in use of staff time, duplicate data entry, and manual entry for medicaid reimbursement, personnel tracking, contract tracking, auditing program service delivery, and state and federal reporting.

     The purpose of this Act is to appropriate funds for the procurement and maintenance of and training for a web-based data system in the department of health's early intervention section.

     SECTION 2.  There is appropriated out of the general revenues of the State of Hawaii the sum of $         or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2017-2018 and the sum of $         or so much thereof as may be necessary for fiscal year 2018-2019 for the procurement of a web-based data system in the early intervention section of the department of health and for the maintenance and training required to support the web-based data system.

     The sums appropriated shall be expended by the department of health for the purposes of this Act.

     SECTION 3.  This Act shall take effect on July 1, 2090.



 

Report Title:

Early Intervention; Department of Health; Web-based Data System; Appropriation

 

Description:

Appropriates funds for the procurement and maintenance of and training for a web-based data system in the Department of Health's Early Intervention Section. (HB918 HD1)

 

 

 

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