Inside Aging January 2025 Newsletter Now Available
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Fran Sheedy Bost Retires From RCPA Member Devereux/TCV Community Services
Announcement from RCPA Member Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health:
Fran Sheedy Bost Retires From RCPA Member Devereux/TCV Community Services
After more than five decades in the behavioral healthcare industry, Devereux / TCV Community Services Executive Director Fran Sheedy Bost will retire from her position, effective Jan. 1, 2025.
While a bittersweet decision, Sheedy Bost is excited to place greater focus on her family – including her six grandchildren.
“Instead of creating business plans, I am looking forward to helping my grandchildren with their homework, volunteering in their schools and cheering them on from the sidelines during sporting events and dance recitals,” said Sheedy Bost.
She began her career in 1973 as a direct support professional. For the last 16 years at TCV, Fran has served as an unwavering beacon of hope and staunch advocate for countless individuals and families in the Mon Valley. Through her leadership, TCV is one of Allegheny County’s most-respected nonprofit organizations providing treatment, care and services to individuals living with intellectual and developmental disabilities, and behavioral health challenges.
Sheedy Bost also gave back to her profession, serving on various RCPA committees, including the RCPA Workers Compensation Trust Board.
In 2020, Sheedy Bost began having conversations with Devereux about a possible affiliation and, on Jan. 1, 2021, she and the TCV Board took a significant leap to trust Devereux, and its people, to support her organization, while sharing her expertise in various areas, including recovery-focused behavioral health services to individuals who want to lead a drug- and alcohol-free lifestyle.
“On behalf of all of us at Devereux, I want to extend my sincere gratitude to Fran for her incredible dedication and leadership to TCV,” said Devereux Vice President of Operations – Children’s Services Mel Beidler, M.S. “She was critical to forming the partnership between TCV and Devereux, as well as the opening of our new location in Homestead, Pennsylvania, and I cannot thank her enough for the time and effort she has put into making this a successful partnership.” A national search is currently underway for the Devereux / TCV executive director position.
Added Sheedy Bost: “The affiliation with Devereux is now entering the third year and our combined strength will ensure that the mission of TCV will continue for the next 50 years and beyond.”
Congratulations to Sheedy Bost on her well-deserved retirement – she will be missed by us all!
Reminder for IPRC Webinar: Understanding and Treating Pediatric Vision Impairments on January 16, 2025
Thursday, January 16, 2025
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MST; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST
Register Here
Samantha Bohl, OD
Presenter Bio:
Dr. Bohl earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio, Texas, and completed a residency in neuro-optometric rehabilitation through the State University of New York College of Optometry. Dr. Bohl joined the team at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in 2017, where she supports individuals with vision impairments in the rehabilitation setting.
Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:
- Review the visual system and areas of the brain used for vision;
- Identify common visual issues found in the pediatric population; and
- Describe several treatments for pediatric vision deficits, including vision therapy.
Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.
Level: Beginner
Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.
Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.
ODP Reissues PBC Residential Services Implementation Guide
The Office of Developmental Programs has shared an updated copy of the PBC Implementation Guide that was released yesterday.
In Attachment 1 — Performance Based Contracting (PBC) Residential Services Implementation Guide, Appendix F: Performance-Based Contracting Residential Scoring Tool, a typo has been corrected within Measure RD.01.1 and now displays the correct date (January 1, 2026).
The updated Implementation Guide is available here or at the Performance-Based Contracting Information web page on MyODP.
OMHSAS Releases IBHS Regulatory Compliance Guide
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) has released the Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) Regulatory Compliance Guide (RCG). This guide has been developed to provide clear explanations of the regulatory requirements of Title 55 Pa. Code, Chapter 5240, “Intensive Behavioral Health Services” regulations. It is meant to help agencies providing IBHS services, with the goal of ensuring safe and effective services to children, youth, and young adults through regulatory compliance as well as to help OMHSAS Licensing Representatives protect those served by these programs by conducting consistent and comprehensive inspections.
This guide is a companion piece to Title 55 Pa. Code Chapter 5240 regulations. It is intended to be a helpful reference for these regulations. The explanatory material contained in this guide in no way supplants the plain meaning and intent of the regulations set forth in 55 Pa. Code Chapter 5240.
The RCPA IBHS Steering Committee will be reviewing UBHS RCG and will provide further clarification to members in the near future.
Feedback or questions on the RCG can be sent to OMHSAS electronically.
If you have any questions or are interested in joining the RCPA IBHS Committee, please contact RCPA COO & Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp or RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.
PBC Residential Services Implementation Guide Updates
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is informing stakeholders of updates to the Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) Residential Services Implementation Guide. Revisions to the Implementation Guide appear in red.
Some significant changes to the Performance-Based Contracting Proposal (Appendix A) are as a result of public comment and feedback from the first round of tier determinations. These changes include:
Performance Standard:
- Revision: (RM-IM.01.3) Data pull will be for 2024 calendar year (CY) quarters 1-2 (Q1-2), and an adjustment variable of 1% will be applied.
- Revision: (RM-IM.01.3) Temporarily changing the threshold from 90% to 86%. For fiscal year (FY) 2027-28, the threshold will return to 90% using CY 2026 data.
- Revision: (RM-IM.01.4) Moved to future measure in FY 2027/28 using CY 2026 data.
Scoring Tool:
- Revision: Measures RM-IM.01.1, RM-IM.01.2, and RM-IM.01.3, RM-IM.01.1 – RM-IM.01.3 Scoring as composite requiring 2 out of 3.
Attachments:
- Attachment 1: Performance-Based Contracting Residential Implementation Guide
- PBC Residential Services Provider Self-Assessment Toolkit
- Attachment 2A: Provider Performance-Based Contracting Preparedness Self-Assessment
- Attachment 2B: Provider Preparedness Workbook 2025 Updates (20250107)
- Attachment 3: Residential Performance-Based Contracting Attestation
Please view ODPANN 25-003 for additional changes, information, and details.
The updated version of the PBC Residential Services Implementation Guide is located on the Performance-Based Contracting Information web page on MyODP.
RCPA Shares Overview of the IRRC Response to PRTF Public Comments
RCPA Shares Third Party Liability Member Survey
In an effort to gain a better understanding of providers’ ongoing needs and challenges in addressing third party liability (TPL) claims, RCPA is requesting that our members complete the following TPL Survey. This survey was designed to capture critical barriers so as to develop strategic pathways to ensuring access and equity.
In January 2024, Governor Shapiro announced that commercial insurers would be required to meet their obligations under Pennsylvania law to provide coverage for autism benefits by categorizing autism services as a mental health benefit. With this action, all autism services will be treated as mental health services, leading to greater mental health parity for those with autism spectrum disorders. The goal of the Shapiro Administration’s legislation is to improve much-needed access to services for individuals diagnosed with autism, a challenge that the Commonwealth has faced for decades.
As providers of mental health, autism services, and substance abuse disorders, our members treat a vast array of individuals who are insured by either commercial insurance, Medicaid insurance, or both. For those who have just Medicaid, billing is simple: providers bill the Medicaid payor, and they pay the claim. The same is true for those who have just commercial insurance if the provider is in network with the commercial insurance carrier.
Complications occur when an individual has both commercial insurance and Medicaid. Coordination of Benefits (COB) requires that the commercial insurance is billed first, and then Medicaid pays what is not covered. Services like the delivery of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) or Intensive Behavioral Health Services (IBHS) are two good examples of services that can fall into this category.
With this survey, we hope to gather information that will assist RCPA and members in addressing the barriers in insurance coverage for children, families, and individuals in Pennsylvania. We thank you for taking the time to complete the survey so that we can continue to seek solutions to access services in our communities.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.
AMRPA 2025 Spring Conference Early Bird Pricing Ends January 15
Proposed Legislation for ID/A Market Index for DSP Services
Senator Carolyn Comitta and Senator Lindsey Williams shared the following message with all Senate members. You may want to contact your local legislator requesting their support.
| Posted: | January 6, 2025, 12:56 pm |
| From: | Senator Carolyn T. Comitta and Sen. Lindsey M. Williams |
| To: | All Senate members |
| Subject: | ID/A Market Index for DSP Services |
Making our government more efficient and effective often means innovating ways to more closely align bureaucratic processes with best practice solutions. Pennsylvania’s method of compensating our invaluable Direct Support Professionals (DSPs) is one such opportunity. Over 55,000 Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism need some assistance during the day to reach their highest level of independence and opportunity. These people and their families rely upon our committed DSPs to support some of the most personal tasks and make sure they live safely while engaging in the community. Often, our DSPs become like family to their clients.
Sadly, if you looked at the pay DSPs receive in Pennsylvania you would not know how critical they are to those who need their services. Despite best efforts, too many great staff leave the profession due to necessity in order to support themselves and their families. This often leads to a very high staff turnover rate even amongst our best providers, which has a negative effect on their clients.
Regulation requires a three-year refresh of market-based data in order to adopt a fee schedule, but there is no requirement for Pennsylvania to change rates at all – no matter what happens to inflation. Under this process, rates are already a year behind by the time they become effective. Last year’s rate increase was 3-4% below actual inflation, without any guarantee of correction for at least 3 years. For many providers, annual increases to health insurance, worker’s compensation, liability and other factors far exceed the available funds.
To help stabilize this workforce and provide better care for individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism, Senator Lindsey Williams and I will soon introduce legislation to amend the Human Services Code requiring that rates annually be set based on a national market consumer index. The adoption of a nationally recognized market index will help provide stability to this system and also support the hard-working DSPs that are essential to the delivery of services for Pennsylvanians with intellectual disabilities and autism. This legislation was SB684 and a companion to Rep. Miller’s HB661 in the 2023-24 session.
We hope you will join us in cosponsoring this important legislation.
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