Yes, throughout the process, we have been working hand in hand to ensure we provide our district customers with an excellent client experience. Coordinators will play an important role in the transition and conversion process. 

The Timberline and Relay teams have engaged in many weeks of review, education and learning, and planning and do believe that the Relay products (Dash and Podium) reflect an improvement for our districts. It was important for us to gather feedback from our IA district customers to help inform the strategy of when we will transition. We have committed to finalizing these decisions based on district feedback by no later than the end of February. 

It is likely that we would want to see all clients transition to the same electronic platform within a set period of time.  However, we are exploring what additional service options might make sense for districts who wish to extend their transitions or keep existing high-touch service models.  This will be communicated in the coming weeks based off the feedback we receive. Note: Electronic customers using paper for transportation logging will be supported using a Relay process to help process that paper with more automation (over time).

Our team welcomes districts who see the value and ease of use of the Relay products and services to choose to make this transition soon.  We anticipate we can begin IT/Data discussions as soon as April and would plan to make all transitions around the start of the new school year.

A provider is considered any user/person who documents services.  In IA, examples of a provider would include paraprofessionals, nurses and social workers.  All providers will have an account to access Relay and this information can be bulk loaded and managed.

We envision that districts will use electronic service logging and claiming ultimately, but there are certain situations where paper logging will not be possible to replace.  Relay utilizes tools to electronically review scanned paper logs and to import paper logged data directly into the systems.  For example, templated paper logs can be collected, scanned, dropped for review by Relay and automatically imported using these tools.  Separately, as districts can create or bulk upload accounts and manage access rights cleanly, many districts do have substitutes in their Relay systems.

For clients moving to the electronic billing system and converting to the Relay platform, we expect the cost to remain the same.  Service level expectations for each service type will be clearly defined as to what is included from Relay in those existing costs.

Implementation teams are experienced in helping districts understand the data exchange processes.  In some cases, where district IT staff may need assistance, we also have a network of experts with most common SIS and IEP products who can help configure the initial data exchange process.

Yes, the system will reflect the changes based on the updated IEP and associated amendments ensuring consistency and accuracy between systems.  Note: the origin of this data upload is Achieve, so the Relay data will only be accurate if the source data in Achieve is accurately maintained.

Yes, the provider logs (submitted by paras, for example) will flow directly to the Nurse for approval. They can review and approve logs directly in Relay Dash in one place.

Relay has a Scheduler tool.  Schedules can be created by the individual provider (user – para) or added by an administrative user on behalf of the provider.   When a calendar entry is scheduled, it can be easily opened to log the standard service with the pre-defined information in place.

The Relay team (including the former Timberline team) will provide a full implementation and onboarding process that includes initial training for district administrators of the system as well as providers (paras, etc.).   In addition, there are many virtual, online and ongoing options available to provide additional training, if and when necessary beyond the initial onboarding training.  Your Client Success Manager (Coordinator) can and will aid in ensuring successful adoption of the products for the district.

We expect districts will want to take a more personal and closer look at the tools. Work with your Coordinator (Client Success Manager) to schedule time for a one on one overview and Q&A session.

As billing and claiming is managed automatically on the back-end, the best practice is to have providers/paras log all student interactions.  The platform then reports only what is eligible to be reported based on compliance, logic and rules.  Further, there are multiple reports dynamically updated and available for all administrators to monitor provider compliance (for example, Prescribed vs. Delivered Reports,  Student Reports, etc.).

Relay has reporting for ongoing review of compliance, validations that match compliance rules that are applied to all billing and claiming.  If a District is audited, Relay CSM will assist in pulling and reviewing the correct data to determine compliance.

One of the many benefits of Relay is that separate documentation reviews will no longer be necessary. Because Relay requires documentation to be current and complete before claims can be submitted, compliance is built directly into the workflow. Once fully implemented, this will help staff maintain requirements in real time, rather than relying on retrospective reviews.