How do I refer a child to PPEC in Palm Beach County?

By Superhero Kids PPEC care team · Updated October 19, 2026 · 7 min read

A doctor in a white coat writing on a form at a desk; the face is not shown. Stock photo.

A PPEC referral in Palm Beach County starts with a phone call to the center and a physician referral. Florida's rule calls that referral a prescription from the child's attending doctor. Anyone can point a family to a PPEC. The center then plans the care with the family, gets the parent's consent, and asks Florida Medicaid to approve it.

This page is for the people who send families to us: discharge planners, case managers, doctors' offices and home health nurses. It gives you the facts you can repeat to a parent, with the rule behind each one.

Parents who land here: talk with your child's doctor about a PPEC prescription. Then read How to enroll in PPEC, step by step, which covers the family's side.

At a glance

Florida law sets two admission rules: a prescription from the child's attending physician and a parent's consent ¹.
The center serves children from birth through age 20, up to 12 hours a day, 6 days a week ⁵⁶⁹.
Florida Medicaid approves PPEC care in 180-day periods, and the plan of care is updated every 180 days ³.
There is no copay or coinsurance for the PPEC service with Florida Medicaid ³.
Calls to (561) 877-2152 are returned within 15 minutes during open hours, and a family can visit the same day.
Nothing is paid or given for a referral. Florida law forbids it ¹¹.

Who can refer a child to PPEC?

Anyone who knows the child can point the family to a PPEC. That includes a discharge planner, a NICU case manager, a doctor's office, a home health nurse, a plan case manager or a parent. What Florida law requires is narrower. Admission needs a prescription from the child's attending physician, and a parent's or guardian's consent ¹.

You can start the conversation before the order is written. Call the center, and it helps the family get the physician referral from the child's doctor ¹⁰. The child stays under that physician's care for as long as the child attends ². The doctor also signs the plan of care, which is updated every 180 days ³. For what makes a child eligible, read who qualifies for PPEC in Florida?.

What does a PPEC referral in Palm Beach County need?

A PPEC referral in Palm Beach County needs five things, and the center can start with fewer. Have these ready when you call, and the center will tell you how to send them. Please do not send patient records by regular email.

What	Why	Who has it
The physician referral (the PPEC prescription)	Required before admission ¹	The child's doctor
The diagnosis and current orders: medicines, feedings, treatments	The plan of care is built from them ²	The doctor or the hospital
The child's Medicaid number	Needed for Medicaid's approval ³	The family or your system
The hospital discharge summary, when there is one	The discharge plan carries over into the care plan ²	The hospital
The parent's name, phone numbers and preferred language	The parent signs the consent form ²	The family

From there the center's process has five steps.

Getting started: a call, with or without a physician referral in hand.
A tour of the center.
The first paperwork.
A review of the child's records, and a plan of care the child's doctor signs.
The request for Medicaid approval, renewed every 180 days ³.

How fast does the center respond?

Calls are returned within 15 minutes, Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm, and a family can visit the same day. Say on the call that the child is in the hospital or that discharge is near. Call (561) 877-2152. Open Monday to Saturday, 7 am to 7 pm.

Florida's rule also covers a child who is still in the hospital. The center then plans the care with the parents and the hospital's medical, nursing, social services and developmental staff ². The goal is that the discharge plan carries over on day one ². A referrer who starts the physician referral while the child is inpatient removes the step everything else waits on.

What medical needs can the center care for?

The center provides skilled nursing for children with medically complex conditions ⁹. Florida also sets limits. The child must be medically stable, need skilled nursing, and be suited to outpatient care ²³. A child who may pose an infection risk to others is reviewed one by one by the medical and nursing directors ².

Conditions on the center's published list include ⁹:

Oxygen administration, respiratory disorders, chronic lung disease and apnea monitoring
Seizure disorders, neurological disorders, cerebral palsy and spina bifida
Cardiac disorders, renal failure, diabetes and cystic fibrosis
Gastrointestinal disorders, colostomy care, and continuous feeding by nasogastric or gastrostomy tube
Premature birth complications, genetic disorders and syndromes, and quadriplegia or paraplegia

For ventilator, IV or tracheostomy care, call to ask about your patient's needs. Speech, physical, feeding and occupational therapy are available through the center's partner, Progressive Pediatric Therapy. The family chooses its therapy provider. The center works with families in English, Spanish, Haitian Creole, Portuguese and French.

Which health plans does the center work with?

Children in any Florida Medicaid plan can attend, and the plan's case manager stays part of the child's care. By law the Agency for Health Care Administration (AHCA) pays the PPEC directly, fee-for-service, even for a child in a Medicaid health plan ¹². Children in PPEC also do not have to join a plan, though they may ¹³.

So a plan member does not need to change plans to start. A family without Florida Medicaid should call the center to ask what applies to them.

What should you tell the family?

Four things you can stand behind, each with a rule behind it:

Cost. There is no copay or coinsurance for the PPEC service with Florida Medicaid ³. A family in the Medically Needy program may first owe its monthly share of cost before Medicaid pays ⁸. Read does Florida Medicaid pay for PPEC?.
Rides. They are not part of the PPEC benefit. For a child with Florida Medicaid, Medicaid's transportation benefit covers them, and the PPEC must send an escort ³. Read PPEC transportation.
The first day. It includes a full parent orientation to the center's services, which Florida requires at admission ⁴.
The day. Care is up to 12 hours a day ⁵, six days a week ⁹, and a parent signs a daily log of arrival and departure times ³.

The center is a licensed PPEC at 1700 W. Woolbright Rd, Suites 3 and 7, Boynton Beach, FL 33426 ⁷. Families come from West Palm Beach, Boca Raton, Delray Beach, Wellington, Royal Palm Beach and Palm Beach Gardens. They also come from Greenacres, Lake Worth Beach, Riviera Beach, Deerfield Beach and Pompano Beach. Give the family the number, (561) 877-2152.

One more thing, for you. The center never pays, rewards or thanks a referrer with anything of value. Florida's patient brokering law forbids it ¹¹. The only thing we offer a referrer is clear facts.

Questions parents ask

Can a hospital discharge planner refer a child to a PPEC?

Yes. Anyone can connect a family with the center. Admission still needs the attending physician's prescription and the parent's consent ¹. Start the physician referral while the child is inpatient, and call the center. Planning can then begin with the hospital team ².

Does a PPEC referral need a prescription from a doctor?

Yes. Florida law requires a prescription from the child's attending physician before admission ¹. The child stays under that physician's care while attending ². The physician also signs the plan of care, updated every 180 days ³.

Is there a referral fee or reward for referring to a PPEC?

No. Florida's patient brokering law bans any commission, bonus, rebate or benefit for a referral ¹¹. It applies to the one who offers it and the one who takes it. The center offers information only.

Where do I send the child's records?

Call (561) 877-2152 first. The center will tell you how to send records. Please do not send them by regular email.

Keep reading

Sources

Florida Statutes, section 400.902. Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/400.902
Florida Administrative Code, Rule 59A-13.007 (admission, transfer and discharge). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=1823617&type=1&file=59A-13.007.doc
Florida Medicaid, Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care Services Coverage Policy, February 2018, adopted in Rule 59G-4.260. Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/RuleNo.asp?ID=59G-4.260
Florida Administrative Code, Rule 59A-13.013 (training and parent orientation). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flrules.org/gateway/readFile.asp?sid=0&tid=1824005&type=1&file=59A-13.013.doc
Florida Statutes, section 400.914(2)(a). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/400.914
Agency for Health Care Administration, Prescribed Pediatric Extended Care (PPEC). Read October 19, 2026. https://ahca.myflorida.com/medicaid/child-health-services/prescribed-pediatric-extended-care-ppec.html
Superhero Kids PPEC, home page (licensed PPEC in Palm Beach County). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.superherokidsppec.com/
Florida Department of Children and Families, Economic Self-Sufficiency questions (Medically Needy, share of cost). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.myflfamilies.com/services/public-assistance/economic-self-sufficiency-frequently-asked-questions/
Superhero Kids PPEC, Our Services. Read October 19, 2026. https://www.superherokidsppec.com/our-services
Superhero Kids PPEC, Enroll. Read October 19, 2026. https://www.superherokidsppec.com/enroll
Florida Statutes, section 817.505 (patient brokering). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/817.505
Florida Statutes, section 409.968(3). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/409.968
Florida Statutes, section 409.972(1)(g). Read October 19, 2026. https://www.flsenate.gov/Laws/Statutes/2025/409.972