';
CLOSE
Featured
Featured posts

0 1495

The PA Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD) announces that registration is now open for the 2024 Statewide Crisis Intervention Team (CIT) Symposium. The event is scheduled for Wednesday, September 25, 2024, at the Wyndham Garden State College. PCCD, in partnership with Center County CIT, has developed an agenda for a day of training and networking opportunities. For more information, including registration, agenda details, and session descriptions, visit the CIT Symposium web page.

If you have any other questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.

0 1300

HARRISBURG, PA (July 12, 2024) – Intellectual disabilities and autism (ID/A) advocates and providers are calling the final 2024/25 Pennsylvania budget a “strong step forward” that will “change so many lives for the better.” The approved budget includes additional funding for increased rates and more capacity to serve the waiting list. As Gov. Josh Shapiro noted last night in his final budget remarks, “The ID/A community was finally heard in these halls of power.”

“I am grateful for the partnership and collaboration with Pennsylvania Advocates and Resources for Autism and Intellectual Disabilities (PAR), The Provider Alliance, MAX Association, The Alliance of Community Service Providers, The Arc of Pennsylvania, and RCPA,” said Richard Edley, PhD, CEO and President of Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA). “It was this unique and unified advocacy that has led to this important step forward in the administration’s multi-year growth strategy. Thank you, Governor Shapiro, and the House and Senate, for listening. We look forward to our continued work together.”

View the full press release here.

0 1078

ODP Announcement 24-068 is to remind trainers and learners about changes in the Medication Administration (MA) Training course and possible impacts of those changes:

  1. Written Documentation – Part 1: Pharmacy Label/Medication Record Comparison (Exam)
  2. Lesson Quizzes (1 through 9)

New Trainer and Recertification Face-to-Face classes have been added to the July schedule, and additional Summer and Fall classes will be announced soon. If you have any issues with registering, please submit a ticket electronically.

0 6075
Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) Deputy Secretary Jen Smith recently provided an update on the federal four walls rule. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a proposed rule, or Notice of Public Rulemaking, that could create exceptions to the existing four walls requirement for IHS/Tribal clinics, behavioral health clinics, and clinics located in rural areas.

The official language posted to the federal register can be found on page 15 of the Federal Register, which is scheduled to be published on July 22, and is copied below.

“This proposed rule includes a proposal to create exceptions to the Medicaid clinic services benefit four walls requirement, to authorize Medicaid payment for services provided outside the four walls of the clinic for IHS/Tribal clinics, behavioral health clinics, and clinics located in rural areas. Our current regulation at 42 CFR § 440.90(b) includes an exception to the four walls requirement under the Medicaid clinic services benefit only for certain clinic services furnished to individuals who are unhoused. We believe these proposed exceptions would help maintain and improve access for the populations served by IHS/Tribal clinics, behavioral health clinics, and clinics located in rural areas.”

As a reminder, this is a proposed rule intended to announce and explain CMS’s plan to address the problem. As such, all proposed rules must be published in the Federal Register to notify the public and give them an opportunity to submit comments. The proposed rule and the public comments received on it form the basis of a final rule. More information on the final rulemaking process is available here. Interested parties should provide public comments on this proposed rule to the addresses listed in the federal register by September 9, 2024.

While CMS works through this process, OMHSAS, RCPA, and the PA General Assembly continue efforts to address this through the recently released HCO 3450 legislation that will address the psychiatric outpatient in-office requirements and the Medicaid “4 walls” standards. RCPA will work with our members and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing on developing public comments for submission regarding this proposed rule. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp.

0 2323

On July 11, 2024, Governor Shapiro signed a bipartisan 2024/25 budget that invests in a range of fields, from health care to public transportation to education. The details of the budget are available in the Governor’s Press Release, which highlights each field and dollar amounts signed. In particular, the budget addresses:

  • Supporting PA’s ID/A community and Direct Support Professionals (DSP);
  • Investing in gun violence prevention;
  • Increased funding for nursing homes and the Aging Our Way plan;
  • Combatting maternal mortality; and
  • Further investments in mental health.

RCPA Policy Staff will be reviewing the budget in great detail over the next few days. We plan to reach out to our members with updates and key information as more becomes available and analyzed. If you have any questions regarding the budget, please reach out to your Policy Director.

Prev1...152153154...485Next Page 153 of 485
© 2021 - Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association