Home Care Billing for Speech Therapy, CDS & Regional Center Services

Home and community-based providers get paid through more channels than almost any other part of healthcare. A single speech-language pathologist may see one child under a regional center authorization, another under Medi-Cal, and a third under a commercial plan, each with its own billing format, deadlines, and documentation rules. Child development agencies add another layer: early intervention services for infants and toddlers, authorized and re-authorized on their own timelines.

Sharp Networks Group manages billing across all of those channels as one system. We invoice regional centers such as North Los Angeles County Regional Center (NLARC) against each consumer's Purchase of Service authorization, submit insurance and Medi-Cal claims for therapy services, and track Child Development Services (CDS) authorizations from Early Start through age 3 and beyond. The result is fewer rejected invoices, fewer expired authorizations, and a clear view of what each funding source owes you.

Who We Bill For

• Speech therapy and speech-language pathology practices, including pediatric and early intervention providers
• Occupational and physical therapy delivered in the home or community
• Regional center vendors: in-home respite, behavior services, supported living, independent living, and day programs
• Child Development Services (CDS): early intervention, infant development, and developmental services for children
• Home care agencies billing a mix of regional center, Medi-Cal, and private pay

Regional Center Billing (NLARC and Others)

California's 21 regional centers coordinate services for people with developmental disabilities under the Lanterman Act, and they pay vendored providers directly. Regional center billing is not claims billing. Each service starts with a Purchase of Service (POS) authorization that sets the consumer, the service code, the number of units, and the date range. The vendor then invoices, usually monthly, against that authorization.

Most regional center payment problems come from a small set of causes: units billed that exceed what was authorized, services delivered after the authorization ended, invoices submitted under the wrong vendor number or service code, and attendance records that do not support the units billed. We handle:

• Monthly invoice preparation and submission through the regional center's e-billing process
• Authorization tracking by consumer, with alerts before units or dates run out
• Reconciliation of payments against invoices and follow-up on short pays and rejections
• Coordination with service coordinators when an authorization needs to be amended or renewed
• Support for Early Start (birth to 3) and Self-Determination Program billing

Speech Therapy Billing

For speech therapy delivered under insurance or Medi-Cal, we manage the full claim cycle: eligibility and benefits verification, prior authorization where the plan requires it, claim submission with the correct CPT codes (such as 92507 for treatment and 92521 through 92524 for evaluations), modifiers and place of service for home and telehealth visits, and denial follow-up. Therapy plans often cap visits per year, so we track visit counts against plan limits and flag patients who are close to the cap before claims start to deny.

Child Development Services (CDS) Billing

Child Development Services cover early intervention and developmental support for young children, including infant development programs, developmental specialists, and home-based therapy for toddlers. For children under 3, these services are typically authorized by a regional center under California's Early Start program after an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) is in place. We match every session to the IFSP and the regional center authorization, invoice the correct service code and units each month, and track the date each child turns 3 so services and funding transition without a gap in payment.

Report Tracking, Automated Reminders & POS Management

In regional center work, getting paid depends as much on paperwork deadlines as on invoices. Progress reports, quarterly and annual reports, IFSP and IPP reviews, and re-evaluations all have due dates, and a late report is often what delays a POS renewal. We implement a tracking system for every consumer so nothing depends on someone remembering a date.

• Report calendar by consumer: every progress report, re-evaluation, and plan review is logged with its due date, the responsible therapist, and its status (pending, drafted, submitted, accepted)
• Automated email reminders: therapists and clinical leads receive reminders before each report is due, with escalation when a deadline is close and the report has not been submitted
• POS expiration alerts: authorizations are tracked by start date, end date, and remaining units, and your team is notified well before a POS expires or runs out of units
• Service Coordinator follow-up: we contact the consumer's Service Coordinator to request renewals, amendments, and corrected authorizations, and log each request and response so you always know where a renewal stands
• Discrepancy resolution: when a POS does not match what was agreed in the IFSP or IPP (wrong service code, rate, or units), we raise it with the Service Coordinator before services are delivered, not after an invoice is rejected

The system runs on the tools you already use, such as your EHR, shared calendars, and email, configured by our Technology & Integration team. You get a weekly view of reports due, authorizations expiring, and open requests with each regional center.

What You Get

• One billing team across regional center, Medi-Cal, commercial insurance, and Child Development Services
• Monthly reporting by funding source: billed, paid, pending, and denied
• Authorization and visit-limit tracking for every consumer and patient
• Work done inside your existing EHR. See the EHR systems we work with
• HIPAA-aligned processes and a dedicated account lead
• Optional referral network development with Service Coordinators, pediatricians, and schools