A new computer system launched by the New York State Department of Health for providers of the state’s Early Intervention Program is encountering major issues. The frustration with the system has reached the point to where a petition to fix it has more than 12,000 signatures.

Providers say it’s on top of existing issues when it comes to reimbursement rates and employee retention, and the havoc it is wreaking is having an impact on their ability to do their jobs.

Early intervention provides services for children with disabilities when experts say it’s most effective — the first three years of a child’s life.

“If you don’t have children receiving services in a timely manner, that opportunity to make those changes is significantly decreased,” said Amanda Wilbert, regional director of Step by Step Developmental Services.

The EI-Hub was launched last month and replaced an earlier database. The state Department of Health says the intention is to log a child’s information from referral to transition, including managing provider data, claims, billing and payments.   

Wilbert said it was supposed to be an improvement.

“The EI Hub was supposed to help with more timeliness for getting providers paid, so the billing would just come in quicker,” she said.

That’s not what happened, according to the more than 12,000 who have signed the petition.

Sheri Levine, billing director for Step by Step and Sprout Therapy Group, said she has seen first-hand the problems the transition has caused, including denied and delayed payments, missing data and disruptions to basic record management procedures.

“October of 2023, my billing was 100 percent paid. I had one error that needed a rebill, since the hub launched on October 15th, this year, I am sitting at 83 percent approved,” she said.

The Department of Health said its vendor is investigating any received privacy concerns, and said there is no security threat to any provider information as a result of the issues.

“Our early intervention program serves 70,000 kids across the state every single day. We are working to improve our recently launched EI Hub to minimize disruptions for providers and ensure the hub is a secure and effective resource,” the department told Spectrum News 1 in a statement.

The department also said it is issuing stopgap payments to providers who have requested it, but Wilbert emphasized that the consequences so far have been real.

“If you are an independent provider, meaning you don’t work for an agency, this is like an extra 8 to 10 hours a week of unbillable time,” she said.

She also emphasized that a significant concern is that the impact could further exacerbate longstanding issues with workforce retention and reimbursement rates.

“It’s only going to push people out, and when you have big companies that can’t pay their employees, or might run into that problem of not being able to pay their employees, we’re going to see another mass exodus,” she said.

Gov. Kathy Hochul on Friday vetoed a bill that would have commissioned a review of reimbursement rates and service delivery within the program.