Welcome to the new issue of IEPWriter Direct! Here's what's going on with IEPWriter.com:

Upcoming Focus Group Meetings

It is hard to believe summer is almost over and another school year is starting! That means it's time for our annual Fall Focus Group Meetings. During this fall's meetings, we plan to discuss:

• any improvements you'd like to see to the newly-released version 3.5 of IEPWRITER,
• our new IEPWriter module, STAR (Service Tracking and Reporting),
• and, of course, any questions you might have.

Invitation e-mails are being sent to Administrators and Technical Contacts, so watch your mailbox in the next day or two (seating is limited, so please register early to ensure you get a spot). We've also added a seventh session this year to better accommodate our Central PA schools. Both Lewie Astorino and Jeff Eckhart are looking forward to seeing everyone at the focus group meetings!

IEPWriter and Medicaid billing

There have been a lot of rumors and misinformation circulating about changes in the Medicaid billing process and how it affects IEPWriter. Despite what you may have heard, IEPWriter will be able to handle your Medicaid billing needs through its new module -- STaR (Service Tracking and Reporting). The STaR module will:

• capture Medicaid billing data,
• create the export files needed to be sent to PCG for Medicaid billing.

We will keep IEPWriter updated and compliant with any state or federal changes that emerge from the CMS audit or regulatory changes. Please rest assured that IEPWriter will be there to meet your changing needs.

Students List

In version 3.5, when you click into your Students list, it displays those students for whom you have access. What you may not realize is that if you use the search fields to narrow down the list (by Path or Grade, for example), IEPWriter will remember that criteria (with the exception of Last Name, which is not remembered) the next time you return to the Students page. If you're not seeing all your students, just click the Clear Search button to go back to the full list. So if you go to this page and don't see what you expect, check the search criteria.

Data Bridge

If you are not using our Data Bridge, you may want to look into this product -- it keeps IEPWriter in sync with your Student Information System (SIS). This way you do not have to enter student demographics twice; it can also send changes back to your SIS (if you so desire). This process helps keep data accurate between both systems and cuts down on the amount of data entry that needs to be done.

Current News

Keep an eye on the Current News postings in IEPWriter. We will often put items in Current News about changes or issues in IEPWriter for you to be aware of, as well as upcoming events and planned changes.

In closing...

That's it for this issue. As always, please send any questions to our Help Desk at helpdesk@iepwriter.com. Leader staff and management hope you have a great school year!