This weekend, Senator McConnell announced that there would be no vote on the BCRA this week, and the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) announced that there would not be a score of the BCRA, either. Additionally, the State Senate is scheduled to return today in the midst of a possible state budget action. Because of this, Wednesday’s press conference is being postponed. We will keep you updated on future events.
RCPA has been working with a multi-association group to oppose the federal proposed American Health Care Act (AHCA)/ Better Care Reconciliation Act (BCRA). We previously sent a letter to Senators Casey and Toomey and are now planning a letter to the editor and press conference. The effort has been led by the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of PA (HAP), but has been a very collaborative initiative, and RCPA will be speaking at the press conference along with several other associations. We encourage you to attend this event which is being held at the Capitol in Harrisburg on Wednesday, July 19 at 11:00 am. For additional information contact Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.
The Department of Human Services (Department) is soliciting public input on the use of electronic visit verification (EVV) systems for Medicaid-funded personal care and home health care services in Pennsylvania. See announcement below and here.
Today the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) issued a communication to the Home and Community-Based Service Providers that will be enrolling into the provider networks of the Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) through Community HealthChoices (CHC).
With the onset of CHC, Pennsylvania’s three Managed Care Organizations are in the process of establishing strong provider networks to support the program. In order to ensure network adequacy, the department is gathering information to establish a baseline of the number of full time equivalent (FTE) workers that are potentially needed to continue to provide services and meet the needs of the participants. Due to this requirement, the CHC MCOs will be asking providers for this information during a provider’s initial enrollment with an MCO and on an ongoing basis. The OLTL appreciates the continued cooperation of providers in ensuring a smooth transition for participants into the CHC program. If you have questions, please contact the OLTL Bureau of Quality and Provider Management, Enrollment and Certification Section at 717-772-2570.
The Office of Long-Term Living has announced registration information for stakeholders to participate in the next MLTSS Subcommittee of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee:
Attendance via phone/webcast:
If you wish to participate in the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting on Friday, July 7, 2017, 10:00 am to 1:00 pm, in the Honor’s Suite at 333 Market Street Tower in Harrisburg, and cannot attend in person, OLTL is offering webcast and dial-in capabilities.
To participate via webcast, please register by using the link below. We encourage those participating by webcast to register early. When registering, please verify that you entered your email address correctly. You will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webcast if you registered correctly. Please be advised that space is limited on the phone line.
The dial-in number is: 888-468-1160 PIN: 252190#
If you have any questions about registering for the webcast, please contact the Office of Long-Term Living.
RCPA is partnering with PA Health & Wellness to provide a free webinar on contracting overview and training. We are preparing to ensure continued access of care for participants of the Community HealthChoices program. This webinar will review the PA Health & Wellness contract and the process to become a partner in their network.
This free webinar will be held on Tuesday, June 27, 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT. Please register here. Please download the orientation file.
If you have any questions, please call Melissa J. Siwiec from PA Health & Wellness at 717-551-8020.
Yesterday, the AARP Public Policy Institute released a document, Picking Up the Pace of Change, supported by the AARP Foundation, The Commonwealth Fund, and The Scan Foundation. The report, the third in a series, can be accessed online.
According to authors Susan Reinhard, Jean Accius, Ari Houser, Kathleen Ujvari, Julia Alexis, and Wendy Fox-Grage, the Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) State Scorecard aims to pick up the pace of improving LTSS by providing comparable state data to benchmark performance, measure progress, identify areas for improvement, and improve lives.
The goal is for the Scorecard to stimulate a dialogue among key stakeholders, encouraging them to collaborate on strategies for improving their state’s LTSS system. The LTSS State Scorecard — a compilation of state data and analysis — finds that progress toward better support for our rapidly increasing populations that are aging and living with disabilities is slow and uneven, with great variation among states. Still, states made significant improvements in a number of areas.
The two areas with the most significant declines are employment for working-age people with disabilities (21 states) and long-stay nursing home residents moving back to the community (21 states). The Scorecard shows the best, worst, and median scores on 25 indicators and can be compared across states. Pennsylvania’s Scorecard shows performance improvement in eight indicators and one performance decline since the 2014 report. Of the 50 states and the District of Columbia, Pennsylvania is ranked 36 overall and as follows in the five domains:
According to the report, this progress is not enough, even though states are inching toward spending a greater proportion of Medicaid and state LTSS funding on home- and community-based services — a positive trend because it both enables greater independence and is cost-effective. The authors urge accelerated activity so that all states reach much higher benchmarks by 2026; the year when baby boomers begin to turn 80 and begin to experience a greater need for LTSS.
State and federal officials, providers, advocates, and other stakeholders can use the data analytics in this Scorecard to see how their state compares with others and to assess both their successes and areas in need of reform in order to improve support for older people, adults with physical disabilities, and their family caregivers.
Prev