OMHSAS Highlights Telehealth Funding For Small Organizations
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MedPAC Publishes 2023 Data Book Focusing on Health Care Spending
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.
Reminder: Act Now to Support 988!
Message from the National Council for Mental Wellbeing:
Last week we reached out asking you to write to your congressional representatives in support of the 988 Implementation Act. We wanted to pop back into your inbox with a critical opportunity we have to expand the network connecting people to mental health and substance use care across the country.
The 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline has successfully served millions of people. But there is more work to do, and we need your support to do it. Support from you and your representative will go a long way that our crisis care system provides people in every community with someone to respond and somewhere to go if we hope to fulfill the promise of 988.
As a reminder it will only take 2 minutes to show your support. Here is why it’s paramount that your representatives support this legislation, 988 Implementation Act:
- Expands behavioral health workforce training programs and provides grant opportunities for local behavioral health centers;
- Expands Medicaid coverage for behavioral health services, including short term crisis intervention services;
- Increases support for mobile crisis response, ensuring that even those in rural areas have access to timely care;
- Creates new capital grants to be used for crisis response program facility renovation, construction, and expansion;
- Narrows the IMD exclusion so that services furnished in psychiatric acute care crisis beds administered by CCBHCs and other crisis care settings are eligible for Medicaid coverage; and
- Increases awareness of 988 through a national media campaign.
Contact your Congressional Representatives and urge them to support the 988 Implementation Act. By strengthening, and raising awareness for current resources, and building capacity at the state level for these on the ground crisis services, this legislation will make a difference, and save the lives of your friends, neighbors, and community members in crisis. Time is of the essence. Act today, and together we can strengthen the crisis care continuum.
Thank you for your advocacy.
Sincerely,
Rachel Abraham
Federal Policy and Advocacy Coordinator
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Human Resources Sessions to Be Offered at the 2023 RCPA Conference
The 2023 RCPA Conference, A Decade of Unity; Enhancing Lives and Shaping the Future, is being held in person at the Hershey Lodge October 10 – 13, 2023. Registration is now open, and we are offering early bird registration rates through September 8.
This year’s conference features several exciting Human Resources (HR) sessions. The full program will offer access to over 90 continuing education credits. The HR track includes:
Tuesday, October 10
9:00 am – 10:30 am | Workshop Session A
W01 | Moral Injury: Reframing and Repair
Presenter: Wendy Dean, MD, The Moral Injury of Healthcare
W02 | Milieu Therapist Residency Program
Presenter(s):
Taylor Wellman, OTD, OTR/L, UPMC Western Behavioral Health
Michael Barfield, EdD, LSW, UPMC Western Behavioral Health
Jennifer Beckjord, PsyD, UPMC Western Behavioral Health
W04 | Becoming a Data-Driven Provider: 10 Steps to Creating a Data-Driven Culture
Presenter(s):
Jodie Esper, BSBA, MSA, Mainstay Life Services
Scott Bachik, BSIM, MAS, Enkompas BI
W05 | Devereux Ascend Career Accelerator Program
Presenter(s): Michael Ernst, MA, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
Kathy E. Marks, SPHR, MEd, Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
11:00 am – 11:45 am | Keynote Session
K01 | State of the State
Presenter: Secretary Valerie A. Arkoosh, MD, MPH
1:30 am – 3:00 pm | Workshop Session B
W10 | Purpose and Growth: Engaging and Retaining Your Teams in Challenging Times
Presenter: Lisa Friscia, SHRM-SCP, Co-Active Coach, MSL, Consulting for Human Services
W16 | Condition Support: Addressing Escalated Situations in the Health Care Setting
Presenter(s):
Jeffrey Magill, MS, UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital
Camellia Herisko, DNP, MSN, RN, PMHCNS-BC, CRNP, UPMC Western Psychiatric
David Heckman, UPMC
3:15 pm – 4:45 am | Plenary Session
P01 | Become a Destination Employer
Presenter: Michael S. Cohen, Esquire, Duane Morris, LLP
Wednesday, October 11
9:00 am – 10:30 am | Plenary Session
P02 | Addressing the Workforce Crisis: Strategy and Policy Learnings from Four Organizations
Presenter(s):
Tine Hansen-Turton, MGA, JD, Woods Services, Inc.
Brian Hancock, JD, Bancroft
Rita Gardner, MPH, LABA, BCBA, CDE, Melmark
Marco Giordano, CPA, Resources for Human Development
10:45 am – 12:15 pm | Workshop Session C
W18 | Make Difficult People Disappear: How to Reduce Stress and Eliminate Conflict in the Workplace
Presenter: Monica L. Wofford, CSP, Contagious Companies, Inc.
W22 | Subpoenas, Court Orders, and Requests for PHI: Obligations Under HIPAA, the MHPA, and Other Statutes
Presenter: Jeffrey J. Worley, Esq, Gibbel Kraybill & Hess
1:45 pm – 3:15 pm | Workshop Session D
W26 | Recruitment and Retention of Front Line Workers
Presenter(s):
Teresa Hewitt, MSW, Alliance for Nonprofit Resources
Shawna Mitcheltree, BA, Alliance for Nonprofit Resources
3:30 pm – 5:00 am | Keynote Session
K02 | Beyond Accessibility: Diversity and Inclusion in the Disability Community
Presenter: Chaz Kellem, MA, DEI Professional
Thursday, October 13
9:00 am – 10:15 am | Keynote Session
K03 | Changing the Conversation Around Mental Health: It’s Way Past Time
Presenter: John T. Broderick, Jr., Juris Doctor
10:30 am – 12:00 pm | Workshop Session E
W34 | Bridging Generational Differences in the Workplace
Presenter: Stacey Nybeck, MBA, Secure Rehabilitation and Vocational Enterprises, Inc.
W35 | Transforming Organizational Wellness and Self-Advocacy Through an Evidenced-Based Practice: Improving the Lives of Employees and Individuals in Our Care
Presenter(s):
Lynn A. Miller, MEd, Advocates for Human Potential
Lesley Corey, EdD, Step By Step, Inc
1:30 pm – 3:00 pm | Workshop Session F
W44 | Attracting and Retaining the Best Talent: Mitigating Bias in Hiring, From Sourcing Through Onboarding
Presenter: Lisa Friscia, SHRM-SCP, Co-Active Coach, MSL, Consulting for Human Services
RCPA Captive Health Plan (EXCLUSIVE NON-CE OFFERING)
Presenter(s):
Krystal Hultberg, Pareto Health
Rob Lord, Imagine360
Jennifer Johnson, Liviniti
Greg A. Robick, Corporate Benefits Consultants, Inc.
3:30 pm – 5:00 pm | Workshop Session G
W54 | Applying Augmented Intelligence to Workforce Challenges and Care Delivery
Presenter(s):
Andrew Schmitt, MSW, Gaudenzia
Denny Morrison, PhD, Morrison Consulting
Dror Zaide, MBA, Eleos Health
W56 | Termination Without Litigation
Presenter: Michael S. Pepperman, Obermayer Rebmann Maxwell & Hippel LLP
Friday, October 14
10:45 am – 12:15 pm | Plenary Session
P03 | National Update From Our Association Partners
Presenter(s):
Chuck Ingoglia, MSW, National Council for Mental Wellbeing
Donna Martin, MEd, ANCOR
We encourage you to review the full program of sessions offered and look forward to your participation in these sessions, along with other Plenary and Keynote sessions, social gatherings, Connections Hall, and more. For additional information, please contact Carol Ferenz.
Save on RCPA Conference Registration Fees With Early Bird Rates
Summer is flying by, and so, too, is the opportunity for early bird registration rates for the 2023 RCPA Annual Conference A Decade of Unity! Early bird rates end Friday, September 8, so be sure to register today and claim your seat, your hotel room, and your discount! View the full brochure for details as well as information on our roster of workshops, keynote speakers, and plenary sessions. You’ll be able to earn CEs from workshops such as:
- Getting Past the First Meeting to the Contract Negotiation
- Learn how to present a solution in health and human services to health plan payors based on what the payor needs and looks for.
- Bridging Generational Differences in the Workplace
- Explore the generational diversity in your workforce and how to leverage each generation’s strengths to your competitive advantage.
- Transforming Organizational Wellness and Self-Advocacy Through an Evidenced-Based Practice: Improving the Lives of Employees and Individuals in Our Care
- Identify the benefits of and methods for implementing a wellness program to improve employee wellness and support consumers and families served in MH/IDA.
- Revealing the Potential of Smart Home Technologies for People With Disabilities Through Research and Resources
- Examine smart home technologies, their uses for people with disabilities, and the expanding field of research and resources for the tech.
- Our HAIR (Health Access Initiative for Recovery): Making a Difference With Health Equity
- Listen to an in-depth overview of Community Care’s “Our HAIR” program, which was developed as a targeted intervention to address racial disparities in access to behavioral health care.
- Implementing and Sustaining Evidence-Based Practices
- Develop evidence-based practices for childhood trauma via CenClear’s Healing After Trauma program.
- Selective Contracting or Managed Care: Either One Will Change Your World
- Learn about the impact selective contracting and managed long-term services & supports will have on the IDD community.
- Findings on Stakeholder Engagement for the PA Master Plan for Older Adults
- Discuss what the Master Plan is intended to accomplish and learn of preliminary findings from the stakeholder engagement process.
Register today!
In addition to an impressive roster of speakers, our 2023 Conference will have an exciting array of sponsors and exhibitors. We thank those who have signed on thus far! If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, visit here for more details or contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, with any questions you may have. Keep up-to-date and register today for #rcpaconf!
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Self-Advocates United as 1 Releases Virtual Event Flyers
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared flyers from Self-Advocates United as One (SAU1) regarding virtual events. Please view the flyers below for details on September events as well as a webinar on housing for those with disabilities.
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