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Provider Class: Licensed Healthcare Professional

Provider Types

Providers in this class are Licensed Healthcare Professionals (LHCP). You will complete an application in this provider class if you are one of the following provider types:

  • Audiologist
  • Licensed Clinical Social Worker
  • Marriage and Family Therapist
  • Mental Health Counselor
  • Nurse Practitioner
  • Nutrition Counselor
  • Occupational Therapist
  • Occupational Therapy Assistant
  • Physical Therapist
  • Physical Therapy Assistant
  • Practical Nurse
  • Psychologist
  • Registered Dietician
  • Registered Nurse
  • School Psychologist
  • Speech-Language Pathologist
  • Speech Therapy Assistant

Requirements for Licensed Healthcare Professional Application and Approval
  1. Licensed Healthcare Professionals must have a current license through the Florida Department of Health/Medical Quality Assurance (MQA) Boardopens in a new window within their discipline to be approved as a provider in the CMS/ES Provider Management System. One-year experience in early intervention: One year of experience in early intervention equals 1600 hours of hands-on experience with birth to five year-old children with special needs and/or developmental delays and their families. Time spent in a practicum or internship situation (up to 400 hours) may apply toward the 1600 hours of hands on experience. The Early Steps Documentation of Experience Form:opens in a new window. (pdf - 47kb) must be used to document experience. Resumes are not considered certification of experience.
  2. Without one-year experience: In lieu of one-year experience, you must complete the Early Steps Provider Mentorship Documentation Formopens in a new window (pdf - 70kb) within six months of being employed or contracted by a Local Early Steps.
  3. Therapy Assistants must document one year experience, mentorship is not an option.
  4. Therapy Assistants and Speech Language Pathologists with a provisional license must be supervised by a therapist who is an approved Early Steps provider.
  5. Therapy Assistants must complete the Early Steps Provider Supervision Formopens in a new window..(pdf - 53kb) Therapy Assistants must follow the supervision requirements of their licensure when serving children under the auspices of the Early Steps system.
  6. A Speech Therapy Assistant may dually apply for approval as an ITDS and Speech Therapy Assistant, if all requirements for both provider types must be met.
  7. Providers, who are eligible to enroll, must enroll in Medicaid within their specific discipline and/or as an Early Intervention Services provider and adhere to requirements in the appropriate Medicaid Handbook(s)opens in a new window.. When enrolling in Medicaid as an Early Intervention Services provider, the applicant must send a completed application to the Early Steps Enrollment Specialist to review and be forwarded to Medicaid.. However, if a provider is not eligible to enroll in Medicaid or is working for a home health agency or a hospital, an individual Medicaid number is not required but a Level II FBI background screening will need to be conducted or documentation provided of a clear Level II background screening within the past 5 years.
  8. Beginning July 1, 2008, all Licensed Healthcare Professionals, with the exception of Therapy Assistants, who seek to be approved as an Early Steps provider for the first time, must be enrolled in both the Medicaid program for their discipline and as a Medicaid Early Intervention (EI) service provider.
  9. Licensed Healthcare Professionals must be assigned a temporary or active approval status in the CMS/ES Provider Management System to begin providing services to Early Steps eligible infants and toddlers and their families.
Requirements for Temporary Approval to Begin Providing Services

If you meet the requirements above and complete the online application, the following must be submitted before you may be assigned a temporary approval and begin providing services through a Local Early Steps:

  1. Early Steps Documentation of Experience Form:opens in a new window. (pdf - 47kb) This form must be completed and signed to document your experience and practicum or internship.
  2. Current Professional Liability Insurance: A copy of the insurance policy face sheet and a letter from your employer confirming the coverage in your practice area under their policy is required if the employer is named on the face sheet as the insured.
  3. Medicaid Number or Level II (FBI) Background Screening (current within last 5 years): Providers, who are eligible to enroll, must enroll in Medicaid within their specific discipline and/or as an Early Intervention Services provider and adhere to requirements in the appropriate Medicaid Handbook(s)opens in a new window.. When enrolling in Medicaid as an Early Intervention Services provider, the applicant must send a completed application to the Early Steps Enrollment Specialist to review and be forwarded to Medicaid.
  4. If a provider is not eligible to enroll in Medicaid (i.e., therapy assistants) or is working for a home health agency or a hospital, an individual Medicaid number is not required but a Level II FBI background screening will need to be conducted or documentation provided of a clear Level II background screening within the past 5 years.
  5. If an applicant does not have a current Level II Background Screening, they may submit a fingerprint card to the CMS Provider Management Unit, Early Steps Specialist with a check for $53.25 submitted in the form of a cashier’s check or money order payable to the Department of Health.
  6. Name of Supervising Therapists: Therapy assistants and Speech Language Pathologists with a provisional license must provide the name of their supervising therapist who must be an enrolled and approved Early Steps provider, on the Early Steps Provider Supervision Formopens in a new window..(pdf - 53kb)
  7. Terms and Conditions of Approval:opens in a new window. (pdf - 50kb) This form is required of all Early Steps providers.
Requirements for Active Approval (effective for three years):

In addition to the above, the following are required in order to be assigned an active approval:

  1. Completion of Mentorship:opens in a new window. (pdf - 70kb) Only applicable for those providers with a temporary approval without one year experience. A mentorship must be completed within six (6) months of hire or contract with a Local Early Steps.
  2. Completion of Early Steps Online Orientation Modules (1-3): Licensed Healing Arts Provider must complete the three Early Steps Online Orientation Modules within ninety (90) days of application date.
Requirements for Application Renewal:

Providers must renew their application every three (3) years and document thirty-six (36) hours of CEU/inservice training. All inservice hours must be related to at least one of the Early Intervention Professional Competency Areasopens in a new window. (pdf - 75kb)

All documents referenced above must be mailed to:
CMS Provider Management Unit
Attn: Early Steps Provider Management Specialist
4052 Bald Cypress Way
Bin #a06
Tallahassee, FL 32399

Please note that your application cannot be approved until all required documentation is received.

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For more Information contact us at: 1-800-654-4440
or via email at EarlySteps@doh.state.fl.us
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