When it comes to Medicaid billing in New Mexico schools, one of the most critical — and often misunderstood — components is parental consent. While the requirement itself is straightforward (schools must obtain parental consent to bill Medicaid), the timing and process for collecting that consent can dramatically impact a district’s ability to capture reimbursable services.
In this post, we’ll walk through best practices to simplify parental consent collection and improve Medicaid billing workflows, especially for Special Education teams. Plus, we’ll share details about an upcoming webinar full of practical tips — whether or not you use Relay.
New Mexico’s Medicaid School-Based Services (SBHS) program enables school districts to receive reimbursement for medically necessary services provided to Medicaid-enrolled students under an Individualized Education Program (IEP). But before a school can submit a claim, they must have signed parental consent on file.
No consent = no reimbursement.
What’s tricky is not the requirement itself, but rather how and when consent is requested and documented.
We asked our New Mexico client success manager for her insight on what works best for schools in the state. Her recommendation?
“Obtaining parental consent at the time of the first PPT (Planning and Placement Team) referral should be the best practice for the district. If the student is later deemed eligible, the district can bill for evaluations already performed.”
This approach makes the consent process more proactive — helping ensure districts don’t miss out on reimbursable evaluations just because consent wasn’t collected in time.
But what if the district doesn’t gather consent during the referral process? There are still opportunities to simplify collection, including:
The key is to embed the consent form into existing workflows so it doesn’t become an afterthought.
Districts using Relay can automate parts of the parental consent workflow and track consent status across teams. But even if you’re not using our platform, simply aligning your processes to include Medicaid consent earlier can make a huge difference.
Remember: obtaining consent retroactively is much harder — and can lead to missed revenue.
Want more tips and tricks? Join our upcoming webinar on New Mexico School Medicaid Best Practices, where we’ll cover:
✅ Proven workflows for simplifying consent
✅ Tips for maximizing Medicaid reimbursement
✅ Real-world success stories from New Mexico districts
🗓️ Save your spot now — whether you use Relay or not:
👉 Register here
Parental consent doesn’t have to be a barrier. With smart planning and thoughtful integration into your existing special education workflows, New Mexico districts can streamline Medicaid billing, improve compliance, and recover more funding.
Relay is here to help — but these best practices apply no matter what tools you use.
Let’s simplify Medicaid. Let’s support more students.
Looking for a Medicaid billing partner? Talk to our team about how Relay supports school districts across New Mexico and beyond.
Interested in finding out how to start incorporating these services into your district Medicaid program? Reach out to Relay—your School Medicaid Billing Software specialists.