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Polk County reports MetaStar review score of 89.7% for CLTS; CCS wait list eliminated after process changes
Summary
Behavioral health leaders told Polk County’s Health & Human Services Committee that the county scored 89.7% (compliant) on this year’s MetaStar review for Children’s Long-Term Support; CCS also reported elimination of a prior wait list after changes to referral and enrollment processes and internal QA improvements.
Polk County behavioral health staff reported results of recent MetaStar (state compliance) reviews and operational changes to the county Health & Human Services Committee.
Maddie Cortes, behavioral health manager, said Polk County’s CLTS (Children’s Long-Term Support) Medistar sample scored 89.7% — a compliant result that fell 0.3 percentage points short of the state’s "exceeds expectations" threshold. "Our overall score was 89.7, which is compliant," Cortes said, noting Polk scored above the statewide average in several categories including documentation of needs, timely reporting of abuse/neglect, and staff training.
Cortes and Megan Bosch (lead social worker) outlined steps the county has taken to eliminate wait lists and strengthen compliance: instituting a QA process for CLTS documentation, cross-training staff across CCS and CLTS so vacancies are less likely to create enrollment bottlenecks, functionally screening referrals immediately rather than placing them on a queue, and using a wraparound model to support successful discharges.
The presenters said Polk currently serves a high number of consumers (91 reported consumers in waiver services at the time of the update), with 85% of CCS consumers being children/adolescents. CCS reported it eliminated an 80-person wait list through immediate screening, process changes and increased staffing stability. CLTS reported four children on a dual wait list (mandated by the state) but indicated three were unavailable for enrollment due to placement and one would be enrolled shortly.
Staff warned of a 2025 state enforcement timeline: the state will enforce a no-wait-list policy and may trigger corrective action plans, repayment of funds or withholding of administrative allocations if wait-time standards are not met. Cortes said Polk is now performing internal QA and hopes to move next year from a compliance result to the "exceeds" category.
Committee members congratulated staff for eliminating the CCS wait list and for robust QA results; county staff said continued enrollment surges around school start dates remain a recurring operational pressure. The county will continue internal QA work, software updates and clinical reviews to support documentation and program outcomes.
Next steps: staff will refine documentation through the new EHR and return to the committee with progress updates and any corrective-action needs that arise from the state.
