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Authors Posts by Melissa Dehoff

Melissa Dehoff

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Melissa Dehoff is responsible for all medical rehabilitation and brain injury service issues. Ms. Dehoff attends multiple state-level meetings to advocate on behalf of members on brain injury and rehabilitation issues and is a member of the Department of Health Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will conduct the hospital/quality initiative open door forum (ODF) tomorrow, September 6, 2023, at 2:00 pm. Some of the agenda topics for the call include:

  • FY 2024 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (IPPS)/Long-Term Care Hospital (LTCH) Final Rule:
    • IPPS Payment Updates
    • LTCH Payment Updates
    • Wage Index Proposals
    • Rural Emergency Hospital (REH) Graduate Medical Education (GME) Proposal
    • New Technology Add-on Payment Proposals
    • Social Determinants of Health
    • Physician-Owned Hospital Proposal
    • Quality Updates
    • Hospital Value-Based Payment (VBP) Updates
  • FY 2024 IPF PPS Final Rule
  • Hospital Consumer Assessment of Healthcare Providers & Systems (HCAHPS) Podcast Now Available — Updates to HCAHPS Survey Mode Adjustments
  • Hospital Outpatient Department (OPD) Prior Authorization — Facet Joint Interventions

NEW and UPDATED Open Door Forum Participation Instructions:
This call will be a Zoom webinar. To participate by webinar, register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

Webinar ID: 160 121 2402
Passcode: 860132

Note that, although the ODFs are now a Zoom webinar, we will only use the audio function. There is no need for cameras to be on.

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The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has released an updated HEADS UP to Youth Sports: Online Concussion Training for Coaches. The training provides important information to assist coaches identify signs and symptoms of possible concussions and steps to take if one occurs.

The objectives of the training include:

  • Describe what concussions are, how they occur, and at least one long-term and two short-term potential effect on an athlete’s physical and mental health;
  • Recognize at least two signs and two symptoms of a concussion you might observe during a practice or game;
  • Explain your role in determining if an athlete should be removed from a practice or game, and list four steps to take after a possible concussion occurs; and
  • Identify at least two ways you can prioritize concussion safety.

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The Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania (BIAPA) has announced that they will be offering a 4-part review course for individuals preparing to become Certified Brain Injury Specialists (CBIS). This 4-part Review Course will cover the topics found in Essentials of Brain Injury Guide, Edition 5.0; however, it is highly recommended that you obtain the study materials and prepare prior to taking the CBIS Review Course and the CBIS Exam. Acquiring the CBIS is essential for staff to demonstrate that they are well-informed about providing brain injury rehabilitation services.

FALL 2023 COURSE DATES: September 27, October 4, October 11, and October 18
TIME: 9:00 am – 1:00 pm
Registration Deadline: September 6, 2023

REGISTRATION PROCESS

  1. The BIAPA Prep-course fee is $250. There will be a live Q&A at the end of each Zoom session. Register here to sign up and pay for the BIAPA prep course.
  2. The CBIS discounted application fee is $200 and is only available at this price if you sign up for the prep-course through BIAPA. This application fee is made payable to BIAA/ACBIS and is required to determine eligibility and be able to sit for the CBIS Exam. Use affiliate code: BIAPADIS to receive a discounted rate through October 19, 2023. Please visit here for eligibility and requirements for taking the CBIS Exam and to pay the application fee.

You can email BIAPA for more information.

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On September 7, 2023, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will be offering a webinar on the topic of the PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. A PA ABLE account provides individuals with qualifying disabilities, as well as their families and friends, a tax-free way to save for disability-related expenses while maintaining government benefits. Federal and state law authorized the creation of PA ABLE accounts. The webinar/presentation will be given by a Representative of the PA Treasury Department.

OLTL Service Coordinators, Direct Service Providers, Community HealthChoices (CHC) managed care organization (MCO) staff, and any individuals that work on employment are strongly encouraged to participate in this webinar. It will help you understand the PA ABLE Program and how it can benefit OLTL participants.

Please register using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Additional questions about the webinar should be directed to Ryan Dorsey, OLTL, via email.

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The meeting handouts from the August 2, 2023, Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting are available for review. The handouts include PowerPoint presentations and the transcript from the meeting. View the handouts below:

The next MLTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for Wednesday,, September 6, 2023. The agenda for the meeting has been released, and registration is now open. The meeting will be held in person at the PA Department of Education Honors Suite, 1st floor, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126, and also via webcast. The call information is below:

Conference Line:
Bridge Number: 1-562-247-8422
PIN: 936690076#
Webinar Link
Remote Streaming Link

Comments and questions regarding the agenda should be sent via email.

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Image by StockSnap from Pixabay

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a short, animated explainer video, “Social Determinants of Health Items: Determining When a Proxy Response is Allowed,” for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF), home health (HH), and long-term care hospital (LTCH) providers. CMS developed this video to assist providers in accurately determining when the use of a proxy response is allowed for the following Social Determinants of Health (SDoH) items: A1005. Ethnicity, A1010. Race, A1110. Language, A1250. Transportation, B1300. Health Literacy, and D0700. Social Isolation.

If you have questions about accessing the resources or feedback regarding the trainings, please email the PAC Training Inbox. Content-related questions should be submitted to the HH QRP Help Desk, IRF QRP Help Desk, or the LTCH QRP Help Desk.

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During a recent Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) provider call, a number of issues and concerns were raised specific to AmeriHealth Caritas/Keystone to the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) staff. OLTL decided to schedule a call with staff from AmeriHealth Caritas/Keystone and providers that utilize them as their Community HealthChoices (CHC) Managed Care Organization (MCO). Some of the topics to be discussed include the CHC-MCO scorecard, timeliness and length of time for authorizations, terminations, and issues about HHA.

The call is scheduled for August 23, 2023, from 9:00 am – 10:00 am. To join in this discussion, the call information is provided below:

Microsoft Teams meeting
Join on your computer, mobile app or room device
Visit here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 250 176 587 490
Passcode: GJwBmd
Download Teams | Join on the web

Or Call In (Audio Only)
+1 267-332-8737,,463224577#   United States, Philadelphia
Phone Conference ID: 463 224 577#
Find a local number | Reset PIN

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The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) has published the 2023 Data Book Health Care Spending and the Medicare Program, which provides information on national health care and Medicare spending as well as Medicare beneficiary demographics, dual-eligible beneficiaries, quality of care in the Medicare program, and Medicare beneficiary and other payer liability. It also examines provider settings — such as hospitals and post-acute care — and presents data on Medicare spending and beneficiaries’ access to care in the setting (measured by the number of beneficiaries using the service, number of providers, volume of services, length of stay, or through direct surveys). Specifically of interest is information on dual-eligible beneficiaries, including individuals with disabilities, and information on alternative payment models.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Aging (PDA) has announced that they will host four virtual listening sessions to present an overview of the Master Plan for Older Adults, with a concentration on the American Association of Retired Persons (AARP) 8 Domains of Livability for Age-Friendly Communities. The dates and times for the virtual listening sessions are:

  • August 8, 2023, from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm;
  • August 17, 2023, from 3:00 pm – 4:30 pm;
  • August 22, 2023, from 10:00 am – 11:30 am; and
  • August 25, 2023, from 8:30 am – 10:00 am.

To participate in a listening session, registration is required. Visit here to register.

The 52 Area Agencies on Aging (AAA) will also host in-person listening sessions, where the public can learn about the plan and submit input. Visit here to find a listening session by county.

Visit the PDA website for additional information on the plan. Individuals who would like to submit input on the plan can email, provide feedback through an online form, or mail the Pennsylvania Department of Aging, c/o Master Plan, 555 Walnut St., 5th Floor, Harrisburg, PA 17101.

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