In December 1997, Arkansas Medicaid in cooperation with Title V and Childre
n's Medical Services (CMS) implemented guidelines for the preauthorization
of therapy services for Children with Special Health Care Needs (CSHCN). Th
e University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) in partnership with Ar
kansas Medicaid (MCD), and Chidren's Medical Services (CMS) were given the
charge of developing clinical practice guidelines for physical therapy (PT)
, occupational therapy (OT), and speech/language therapy (SLP) for this pop
ulation based on primary diagnosis and age appropriateness. This process in
volved the implementation of a statewide, internet-based, clinical informat
ion support network. The objective of this article is to describe KIDSCARE,
a clinical information support network, currently under development, for t
he determination of medical necessity and allocation of therapy services fo
r CSHCN.