Welcome to the first edition of Technology Today! The aim of this quarterly newsletter is to share the work being done by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) Technology Taskforce, as well as resources, events, and success stories.
ODP hopes you enjoy the inaugural edition of this newsletter and look for future editions! The Technology Today newsletter is also available on MyODP.
ODP Announcement 22-054 informs Medication Administration Trainers that the outage for important infrastructural changes to the Medication Administration Training Program will now be extended through Sunday, August 7, 2022.
Trainers will be able to login and register to take the “Train the Trainer” course on August 8, 2022. Trainers will be able to administer new classes, and students will be able to register in the system on September 6, 2022. If you attempt to conduct a class or complete any training on the system during this outage, your work will be lost.
All sites related to the Medication Administration Training Program will be unavailable because of scheduled maintenance from 12:00 am, Friday, July 1, 2022, now through Sunday, August 7, 2022. We apologize for the inconvenience.
The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted the fundamental role that infection prevention and control (IPC) practices play in the delivery of safe healthcare and sustaining a strong, healthy community. The pandemic has taught us that not all healthcare settings have the same needs, abilities, or serve the same populations, and because of that, each facility may have their own set of unique IPC challenges. Behavioral health/psychiatric facilities, drug & alcohol treatment centers, and group homes have been identified as the state’s non-traditional healthcare settings, and through experience, we have learned that these sites may require additional IPC support and resources. Recognizing this need, DOH has created the Non-traditional Infection Control Consulting (NICC) Team.
The NICC Team is a group of certified, experienced infection preventionists with commitment to empowering and supporting non-traditional healthcare settings throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania as they aim to reduce transmissible diseases and conditions. To assist in promoting integration of best practice IPC principles into all roles and aspects of care in these settings, the NICC Team can provide the following free of cost services:
Please review the more detailed information sheet about the team’s services and an introductory program flyer to share with non-traditional healthcare partners & facilities. This new resource is intended to increase awareness of IPC best practices as they aim to ensure patient safety in all PA healthcare settings.
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a State Medicaid Director Letter (SMDL 22-003) providing guidance for the first-ever Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Quality Measure Set, the first of two planned guidance documents from CMS.
The HCBS Quality Measure Set is included in the SMDL, starting on page 14. The list of measures includes the NQF number (if applicable), measure steward, and data collection method, as well as information on whether each measure addresses section 1915(c) waiver assurances and/or can be used to assess access, LTSS rebalancing, and/or community integration and HCBS settings requirements.
Most of the measures are derived from consumer surveys; CMS gives states the flexibility to select measures from the consumer survey of their choice from the following validated tools: NCI®-IDD, NCI-AD™, HCBS CAHPS®, and POM®.
Visit here for more information.
The PA Family Network invites you to attend this free workshop:
Wednesday, August 24, 2022
6:00 pm – 8:00 pm
Monday, August 29, 2022
11:00 am – 1:00 pm
Join PA Family Network Advisors as we plan and problem solve for the safety of your loved one with intellectual disabilities and/or autism. See the flyer for more information, including registration instructions.
ODP Announcement 22-083 announces that Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) providers with approved ARPA Grant applications should use the following survey to request reimbursement for expenses incurred. Reimbursement for Technology Grants may consist of one progress payment and one final payment. Reimbursement for Training/Credentialing and Business Associate Grants may include up to two progress payments and one final payment.
Prior to beginning the survey, providers should ensure that supporting documentation (paid invoices, cancelled checks, accounting records, etc.) is available and scanned into a PDF format. These documents will need to be attached at the end of the survey.
Providers should generally expect to see payments a few weeks following ODP’s review of submitted information.
Please access the survey here. Contact Rick Smith for technical questions or issues.
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