Curtis and his wife, Lisa
Curtis Upsher is remembered for his many years of service as a pioneer as an original, founding member of The Black Student Union at Millersville University, and as an avid supporter of the autism community.
His legacy continues in his final acts of love as an organ donor.
The Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC) met this week. Deputy Secretary Ahrens reported that CMS has extended the timeline for states to spend the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds to March 2025. This allows for better planning and coordinating of the expenditures.
Providers have until the end of this month to submit proposals for use of these funds for training and credentialing of staff, technology (SCOs have a particularly good opportunity in this area), and development of business associates in industries.
ODP Announcement 22-067 is to provide information about processing gross adjustments for paid promise claims. ODP is processing these claims with a date of service from January 1, 2022 thru February 28, 2022. These adjustments will be visible on provider Remittance Advices on June 27, 2022 at the provider’s highest billing service location.
The adjustments will reflect the difference in the current (effective January 1, 2022) fee schedule rates and the previous fee schedule rates (which were still active in HCSIS/promise thru March 1, 2022) times the number of service units billed and paid as of 5/30/2022.
Providers are encouraged to review their payment/trade files for the relevant time period in order to validate the gross adjustment amounts. Instructions on how to download payment files from promise can be found in the HCSIS learning management system (LMS), under the heading “ODP-ID/A: FM300J Payment File.”
Our legislators are now determining whether to invest in DSP wages or place funds in the Rainy Day fund. Tell lawmakers to increase #DirectCarePA funding in the #PaBudget!
If you haven’t done so already, please reach out and urge lawmakers to increase funding to support human services professionals, so individuals and families in need get the support and care they deserve. Ask your networks to do the same.
Be sure to share our video on your social media pages, too. To share the video, check out our Facebook and Twitter pages where we have the videos posted. Be sure to “like” it and share it with your followers. Don’t forget to tag @directcareworks and use the #DirectCarePA and #PABudget hashtags so we can ensure as many people as possible see it.
It’s so important for us to share the story about how this workforce crisis is affecting individuals and families in need, as well as the providers and professionals who want to serve them.
Most importantly, TAKE ACTION TODAY. Tell lawmakers to increase funding to address the workforce crisis facing Pennsylvania’s health and human services. Thank you for your continued support.
ODP Announcement 20-114: Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, ODP currently allows staff who are required to take the Standard Medication Administration Training Course (“Standard Course”) to take the Modified Medication Administration Training Course (“Modified Course”) until December 31, 2021. Because the effects of the pandemic are ongoing, staff can continue to take the Modified Course in place of the Standard Course until July 31, 2022.
The Department previously required that staff who took the Modified Course in lieu of the Standard Course complete the Standard Course no later than December 31, 2022. Please be advised that this deadline has been extended to June 30, 2023.
[As a benefit to RCPA members, all organizations that join RCPA are also ANCOR members]
ANCOR initiated a letter to Majority Leader of the US Senate Chuck Schumer and Minority Leader of the US Senate Mitch McConnell, to share our support for the inclusion of an investment for expanded access to Medicaid Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS), and recruitment and retention of direct care workers that support people who rely on HCBS, as part of the budget reconciliation legislation. RCPA was one of 462 organizations who signed on in support. The final letter was sent to the Senate earlier this afternoon.
[From Incite Consulting Solutions]
I was recently at a meeting of behavioral health leaders and the CEO of a large provider organization was there. We got to talking about the workforce and he mentioned all the data his organization can generate now.
He said that if you want to thrive and grow in the health care world, you need to be able to crunch numbers and make tough decisions. I couldn’t help but wonder… are we losing the passion and compassion that drove so many of us into the behavioral health care field by increasingly focusing on having a head for business? How do we focus on metrics while not losing sight of what’s truly important?
It’s no surprise that so much of a behavioral health leader’s time is spent on fiscal and administrative issues. Revenue cycle, productivity, clinical workflows, EMR issues – these can make or break an organization. These are activities that require us to lead with structured, analytical thinking. They call on our strengths of judgment and perspective.
The challenge? For most of us we entered this field with a strong sense of mission. We wanted to help people live better lives. We were, and are, driven by empathy – not clinical expertise, administrative excellence, and management oversight. We’ve undervalued the value of heart, creativity, and empowerment.
What we do is centered on human interactions and relationships, maintaining H.E.A.R.T while advancing healthcare management is important.
You and your staff are passionate about changing the world for good, facing the challenges of providing better behavioral health services and the mission it serves. At times, this can conflict with the time and attention needed to implement business processes to measure our success. In a series of blogs this summer, we will explore how to find balance between these two important aspects of behavioral health work.
Interested in continuing the conversation? We want to know what your successes and challenges have been with H.E.A.R.T in your workforce during these difficult times. Please share your ideas and perspective with us here.
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