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Peer Reviews are one of the most stressful things I have gone through as a BCBA. They make me super anxious but I have figured out some tips that help. I narrowed it down to 5 overall things that I do before meetings. I hope you find them helpful!
I know this might sound silly, but not only have your answers ready but have them written out. In my first peer review, I had a list of about 8 things I knew they wanted to talk about. I looked at that list and thought I know the answers to all of those because I know my kids like the back of my hand. This will be no problem.
Spoiler alert, problem. When I got into that phone call. I was so nervous that my mind blanked. I stumbled over answers, I didn’t answer them clearly, and I really sounded like I had no idea what I was doing. It was awful.
I now take any questions that I know about ahead of time, and I actually write out my answer. If I have something from an assessment or progress from a previous goal, I have that ready to share. That way my brain doesn’t have to try and think of the answer the answer is already sitting in front of me. I find that this helps me communicate more clearly and streamline the meeting.
Make sure you can link every single goal back to the core defects of autism. This is one of the biggest flags that not only I get, but the other BCBAs at my company have seen it as well. The insurance companies we work with want to see that every single thing that’s being done in ABA therapy relates back to the core deficit of autism.
Sometimes when I have more of a life skills type goal, that can get flagged because it does not directly relate to one of those core deficits. Sometimes I need to reword the goal to link it back and sometimes I just need to be ready to defend it. Again, when I know exactly how each goal relates back I can smoothly answer when I am asked. That can help push the goal through. Confidence is your friend.
For this example, I will be talking about ABBLS for conversation’s sake. I will submit the treatment plan and an updated ABBLS chart, which has the scores from the most recent assessment as well as the scores from previous assessments. It is color-coded by dates and it is a clear visual display of progress. It is very easy to read, but I was shocked at how many times the person had not read the documents I had sent.
They wouldn’t have even looked at the ABBLs chart. This would frustrate me, but I finally realized that I just need to be ready to go. So instead, I basically summarize everything that’s in the chart so I can quickly spit it back to them especially if the concern is the child is making enough progress. I also find that everyone is super busy, so if I can make this process speedy the other person appreciates that and is more likely to approve.
My fourth tip is to practice practice practice. Have a fellow BCBA read over your treatment plan. If you have a list of questions you know you are going to have to answer, have them ask you the same questions so you can practice your answers. Make sure that you’re confident in your client, their progress, and their needs.
Remember, you’re the person coming to the table that actually knows the kid. You’re going to go in there and you’re going to prove to this other person that your kid needs the services and you’re going to get them. These meetings are intimidating, but you do have the upper hand by having immediate access to the child you’re getting services for.
My fifth tip is corny, but it really did help me when I started to shift my mindset. When I go to these meetings, I try and view them as a learning opportunity. I ask as many questions as I can, seek clarification, and get recommendations on assessments or try to ask for help rewording a goal. Basically, I try and pump as much information out as I can.
Definitely feel out the other person. If they are being really short with you, don’t annoy them. That is going to be counterintuitive to trying to get the plan approved. On the other hand, if they are chatty, use that opportunity to learn. Once you know exactly what that insurance company is looking for, you can adjust your plan to meet that expectation and it can be easier to get approved next time.
If you missed the first part of this blog series, I wrote a short blog about the 4 different scenarios that I typically see when I submit treatment plans. Click the image below to go to that blog!
