';
Authors Posts by Fady Sahhar

Fady Sahhar

228 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.

Accenture has completed the second study of companies’ performances as they increase their hiring of people with disabilities. Their report, titled “The Disability Inclusion Imperative,” builds on the 2018 landmark report on disability inclusion at work in the United States. The 2023 update to the business case is enlightening and addresses:

  • Disability in the US workforce;
  • The business case for including persons with disabilities;
  • The cultural challenge to inclusivity;
  • The A-list framework to foster and facilitate disability inclusion; and
  • Prioritizing disability inclusion to embrace the full power of collective differences.

View the report here.

AmeriHealth Caritas/Keystone First has released a newly-approved timesheet that is to be used for exceptions when electronic visit verification (EVV) cannot be used. This new form must be used effective Friday, December 1, 2023. While the use of this timesheet meets AHC/KF expectations for payments, it does not meet the requirements of the plan’s value-based purchasing (VBP) programs. RCPA aims to meet with the health plan to address a number of questions that are being raised by providers.

If you have any questions, contact Fady Sahhar.

The goal of DRMA is to ensure access to Medicaid/CHIP assistance for survivors of major disasters and public health emergencies who have to evacuate across state lines.

Along Senator Casey (PA) Co-Sponsors in the Senate are: Blumenthal (CT), Welch (VT), Van Hollen (MD), Gillibrand (NY), Warren (MA), Brown (OH), Sanders (VT), Fetterman (PA), Schatz (HI), and Duckworth (IL).

Along Congressman Panetta (CA) and Takano (CA), Co-Sponsors in the House are: Tokuda (HI), Crockett (TX), Blunt Rochester (DE), Holmes Norton (DC), Soto (FL), and Moore (WI).

Read the one-pager on DRMA here.

You can join the hundreds of organizational and individual endorsers.

More than 90 million people nationwide benefit from Medicaid and CHIP, and they’re at risk of losing it when the next disaster strikes! Contact your representatives and ask them to support the Disaster Relief Medicaid Act.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) has made the Medical Assistance (MA) and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Managed Care Quality Strategy (MCQS) for the Commonwealth available for public review and comment. The MCQS is an updated version of the previous strategy submitted to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) in December 2020 and accounts for the ongoing post-pandemic delivery system pressures that have affected how managed care organizations (MCOs) deliver care. The MCQS may be viewed online. Comments may be submitted via email, and those received within 30 days will be reviewed and considered. Additional information is available on the Pennsylvania Bulletin.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar.

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

The Administration for Community Living (ACL) is seeking input on a proposed rule to establish the first-ever federal regulations for adult protective services (APS) programs. Instructions for submitting comments and registering for an informational webinar can be found on ACL’s website and below.

APS programs across the country support older adults and adults with disabilities who experience, or who are at risk of, abuse, neglect, self-neglect, or financial exploitation. APS programs investigate reports of maltreatment; conduct case planning, monitoring, and evaluation, and provide, or connect people who have experienced maltreatment to, a variety of medical, social service, economic, legal, housing, law enforcement, and other protective, emergency, or support services to help them recover. Over the past decade, ACL has led federal efforts to support the critical work of APS programs through a variety of initiatives.

First-Ever Federal Regulations for APS

The proposed rule aims to improve consistency and quality of APS services across states and support the national network that delivers APS services, with the ultimate goal of better meeting the needs of adults who experience or are at risk of maltreatment. To those ends, the proposed rule:

  • Establishes a set of national standards for the operation of APS programs that all state APS systems must meet. These standards formalize — and build upon — the existing National Voluntary Consensus Guidelines for State APS Systems.
  • Establishes common definitions for the national APS system to improve information sharing, data collection, and standardization between and within states.
  • Requires state APS systems to develop policies and procedures, consistent with state law, for coordination and sharing of information to facilitate investigations with other entities, such as state law enforcement agencies and state Medicaid agencies.
  • Requires state policies and procedures to be person-directed and based on concepts of least restrictive alternatives.
  • Establishes requirements for data collection, retention, and reporting.
  • Establishes requirements for mandatory staff training and ongoing education on core competencies for APS staff and supervisors.

ACL has created a fact sheet with highlights of key provisions of the rule, and the full text of the proposed rule can be found on the Federal Register website.

Input Needed

The proposed rule is the culmination of many years of engagement with stakeholders from APS and long-term care ombudsman programs, as well as disability advocates, from across the country. It also reflects input received through several listening sessions, extensive research, and analysis of data from a 2021 survey of 51 APS systems, ACL’s National Adult Maltreatment Reporting System, and policy profiles from APS programs in all states and territories.

ACL now seeks feedback on the proposed rule from all who are interested in improving implementation of APS programs and services. Input from the aging and disability networks and the people served by APS programs is particularly crucial.

Comments will be accepted for 60 days, beginning when the proposed rule is officially published in the Federal Register (which currently is scheduled for Tuesday, September 12). Instructions for commenting, along with the comment deadline, can be found in the Federal Register notice and on ACL’s website.

An informational webinar will be held on Monday, September 18, at 11:30 am ET. Advance registration is required.

For additional questions, contact Fady Sahhar.