';
CLOSE
Authors Posts by Fady Sahhar

Fady Sahhar

158 POSTS 0 COMMENTS
Fady is responsible for policy and regulatory matters related to Physical Disabilities and Aging, with primary focus on personal assistance, employment services, and service coordination. Emphasis is placed on engaging the Office of Long-Term Living and the Community HealthChoices Managed Care Organizations, coordination of care with Behavioral HealthChoices MCOs, and collaborations with other advocacy and provider associations. Fady is also the President / CEO of ProVantaCare, an RCPA-affiliated company focused on contracting with MCOs, and is the President of XtraGlobex, a consulting firm focused on Value-Based Payment contracting. He brings extensive experience in the advocacy and operations of human services providers in physical disabilities and aging, from his role at Liberty Resources, Inc., and his service with a number of nonprofit services providers. He earned an MBA in Marketing from The University of Tennessee and a PhD in Organizational Leadership from Capella University.

0 1090

Effective September 1, 2025, there is a rate change in the OBRA Waiver and Act 150 Program for the monthly Financial Management Services (FMS) procedure code W7341. The new FMS monthly ongoing rate is $101.43, starting with the September 1, 2025, date of service.

Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) service plans are being updated to reflect the September 1 effective date. Service Coordinators do not need to make any service plan updates for this rate change, as an HCSIS system-wide update is being deployed to make the necessary service data rate updates on the impacted service plans.

If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Long-Term Living Provider Inquiry Line at 800-932-0939, Option 2, Monday through Friday from 9:00 am – 12:00 pm or 1:00 pm – 4:00 pm.

0 846

The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was recently held on August 6, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given. Included in this package is a critical update on revalidation with specific dates associated with your agency. ALL communications will be done electronically and could end up in your spam folders. Please review that segment of the presentation and consider reading the transcript for that segment.

Other important updates relate to the CHC procurement stay and an analysis of the impact of OBBB Act on Pennsylvania Medicaid.

Materials Include:

If you have any questions, contact Fady Sahhar.

0 2035

The Bureau of Human Services Licensing (BHSL) has received a small number of reports of issues with faxing the updated Documentation of Medical Evaluation (DME) forms. These reports indicate that some fax machines cannot pick up the contrast in the grey shaded areas. You will find both DME forms with the grey areas lightened significantly. These forms are also being added to the BHSL website.

Please note, BHSL has fax-tested both versions of these forms and did not encounter any issues. Issues with faxing may be related to the age/condition or settings of individual fax machines. Online faxing services that do not require the use of a fax machine are widely available, as are alternative methods of form transmission, such as in-person drop off, email, online drop boxes, or the United States Postal Service.

Questions about this communication may be sent electronically.

0 1284

On July 14, the National MLTSS Health Plan Association submitted comments on the “Preserving Medicaid Funding for Vulnerable Population – Closing a Health Care-Related Tax Loophole” proposed rule. Per the Association:

This rule proposes to refine how CMS evaluates whether a health care-related tax is considered “generally redistributive.”

In our comments, we noted that we appreciate CMS’ efforts to strengthen the oversight and quality of Medicaid programs but raised concerns about the timelines and administrative burden on states, as well as the potential impact on individuals receiving long term-services and supports (LTSS).

The recommendations included:

  • Extending the transition period to three years for all states.
  • Providing clear implementation guidance and technical assistance to states.
  • Postponing finalization of the rule until further research and data analysis on provider-related taxes and impacts are conducted.

Read the full letter here.

In Pennsylvania, this rule would impact participants’ funding of approximately $1B in federal matching funds for HealthChoices, Community HealthChoices, and Behavioral HealthChoices. No immediate action is required. If you have any questions, contact Fady Sahhar.

0 958

The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services’ Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is offering a webinar on the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program. A PA ABLE savings account gives individuals with qualified disabilities (Eligible Individuals) and their families and friends a tax-free way to save for a wide range of disability-related expenses while maintaining important benefits. The state and federal tax-free investment options are offered to encourage Eligible Individuals and their families to save private funds to support health, independence, and quality of life.

Some of the topics OLTL will discuss include eligibility requirements for opening a PA ABLE account; federal and state tax benefits of PA ABLE; and how a PA ABLE account interacts with current benefits.

OLTL Service Coordinators, Direct Service Providers, Community HealthChoices Managed Care Organization staff, and any individuals who work in employment supports are strongly encouraged to participate in this webinar, as it will help them understand the PA ABLE Program and how it can benefit the OLTL participants they serve.

Please register for the PA ABLE Savings Program webinar scheduled for July 23, 2025, from 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you require accommodations to participate in this webinar, please send them electronically.

If you have questions regarding this email, please contact Randy Loss at OLTL.

Prev1...234...16Next Page 3 of 16
© 2021 - Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association