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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is excited to announce a new program available for any individual registered with ODP. ODP has funded online Speech and Language Pathology services, Just SO (Short-Term Online), through TechOWL at the Institute on Disabilities at Temple University.

Individuals and their families/teams can receive up to 10 hours of virtual services from a licensed and certified speech-language pathologist (SLP). An SLP can work with your team to:

  • Assess current communication;
  • Recommend a communication focus;
  • Develop a communication support plan;
  • Teach practical strategies for communication;
  • Select, set up, and/or customize a communication device, if recommended;
  • Plan for getting an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device, including writing an insurance report, if necessary; and
  • Troubleshoot communication strategies, AAC devices, and more.

Visit here if you are interested in this new, free program. For questions, contact TechOWL at 800-204-7428 or via email.

Tablet on a desk - Newsletter

The Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) Division of Quality Management’s QM Spotlight is now available. This is the third in a series of quarterly publications that are intended to shine a light on ODP’s revised Quality Management Plan & Action Plan Review Checklist. Administrative Entities (AEs), Supports Coordination Organizations (SCOs), Providers, Quality Assessment and Improvement (QA&I) reviewers, and anyone who reviews QM plans – including their own – should reference this information as they develop/evaluate QM plans.

To better support professionals assisting individuals on the autism spectrum and their families, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Autism Services, Education, Resources, and Training Collaborative (ASERT) want to learn more about the training needs of professionals. The data collected from this survey will be used by ODP to inform trainings to reflect the needs of provider and professional organizations throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact ODP via email.

Note: This survey is anonymous, and any contact information that you provide will be kept separate from your survey responses.

Please use this link to complete the survey. This survey should take less than 10 minutes to complete. Please complete by February 10, 2023.

Act 111, which amends the Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act of 1972 to no longer define fentanyl test strips as drug paraphernalia, took effect Monday. Under the new law, people in Pennsylvania who buy or carry fentanyl testing strips will no longer face potential criminal charges for possession of drug paraphernalia.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, fentanyl test strips (FTS) are a low-cost method of helping prevent drug overdoses and reducing harm. FTS are small strips of paper that can detect the presence of fentanyl in all different kinds of drugs (e.g., cocaine, methamphetamine, and heroin) and drug forms (pills, powder, and injectables).

Shared by RCPA member MITC:

Much of this content was originally published by OPEN MINDS in September 2022. In turn, this content was derived from a presentation by Dee Werline, President and Chief Executive Officer at New Vista, and Dee DeWitt, Chief Operating Officer and Chief Financial Officer at Momentum for Health. The article matched a lot of our own thinking at MITC and thought the content deserved a wider audience.

Download Weathering the Staffing Storm.

Check out these recommendations and best practices: Guidelines for Better Recruiting and Hiring.

Email MITC to talk to a hiring specialist.

With the passage and signing into law of a federal omnibus appropriations bill last week, the requirement that healthcare providers possess a Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) X-waiver to prescribe buprenorphine to treat opioid use disorder (OUD) has been eliminated. The move is intended to expand access to addiction treatment.

Named for the “x” that accompanies a narcotics prescribing license, DEA X-waivers have been required to prescribe buprenorphine, a Schedule III drug, as treatment for OUD. Applying for an X-waiver required providers to undergo additional training. The X‑waiver requirement had also limited the number of patients providers can treat. It was largely seen as a barrier preventing many practitioners from treating addiction.

Read the White House’s statement on elimination of the X-waiver.

A Financial Management Services (FMS) stakeholder meeting has been scheduled for January 6, 2023, from 1:00 pm – 2:30 pm. During this public meeting, there be a discussion on the administration of FMS under the Community HealthChoices (CHC), OBRA Waiver, and Act 150 programs. Representatives from the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) and CHC Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) will be in attendance to discuss the FMS program.

Please register using this registration link. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.

If you choose to use your phone to call in, please use the numbers below:
Dial in: (631) 992-3221
Access Code: 335417876#
Audio PIN: shown after joining the webinar