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The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 25-046. This announcement provides information on how to register for new 2025 Quality Management (QM) Certification classes.

Key things you should know about the virtual class:

  • Class size is limited to 32 participants.
  • Classes are held over 2 consecutive days, from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm.
  • Prerequisite modules are required to prepare learners for the class and must be completed prior to attending class.

2025 SPRING/SUMMER CLASS DATES:

  • June 11 – 12
  • July 9 – 10
  • August 6 – 7
  • August 20 – 21

Register Here

Please review the announcement for additional information and details.

Help shape the future of healthcare technology for Medicare beneficiaries. Register now for an upcoming Question and Answer session with The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

Date: Tuesday, May 20, 2025
Time: 1:00 pm EST
Location: Virtual via Zoom (link will be provided following registration)
Who Should Attend:
Technology developers, patients, caregivers, providers, payers, and other healthcare stakeholders.

Event Description:
Help create modern digital technologies to empower seniors to manage their health journey. We want YOUR ideas. Please join us for a Q&A session on the recent CMS Request for Information (RFI) on Improving Technology to Empower Medicare Beneficiaries. The session will also review how to submit responses to the RFI.

The CMS Office of the Administrator team will be present to hear your valuable input as we shape the future for Medicare beneficiaries. Our panel includes:

  • Stephanie Carlton, Chief of Staff and Deputy Administrator;
  • Amy Gleason, Strategic Advisor to HHS/CMS & Acting Administrator, U.S. DOGE Service;
  • Arda Kara, Senior Advisor for Technology; and
  • Alberto Colon Viera, Senior Advisor for Technology.

Why Attend:
Your insights will directly contribute to improving technology solutions for Medicare beneficiaries. This is your opportunity to help shape the future of Medicare.

Register Here

Note: Space is limited. Please register early to secure your spot. Official comment should be made in the Federal Register by June 16.

The Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association Political Action Committee (RCPA PAC) is asking members to consider making a personal contribution to the PAC. With these donations, we have been successful in supporting legislative leadership who understand the severe challenges facing many of our providers. These representatives are willing to stand up for our issues as we fight to move Pennsylvania forward.

We urge you to view our 2025 Legislative & Administrative Priorities to see how RCPA is and will continue to work for you. We are able to achieve these goals thanks to our members’ dedication and contributions.

Make an online contribution and advocate for yourself today. While the request is voluntary, we encourage you to make a contribution of $100, $250, $350, $500, or more to the RCPA PAC. If you are interested, you can also consider making a recurring monthly donation.

If you have any questions regarding the RCPA PAC or making a donation, please contact Jack Phillips, Director, Government Affairs.

Tips for Hiring & How to Write a Winning Job Post
Free webinar for RCPA members

Wednesday, June 18, 2025
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Register Here

This presentation explores effective strategies for hiring and crafting compelling job postings in order to attract top talent. Participants will learn how to identify key monetary and non-monetary benefits of working at an agency, such as health benefits, professional development, and overtime/holiday pay, which enhance employee satisfaction and retention. Additionally, the session will cover best practices for evaluating job posting platforms and recruitment methods to effectively connect with potential applicants. Through interactive discussions, attendees will leave with actionable insights and tools to improve their hiring processes and create job postings that resonate with candidates, ultimately fostering a stronger workforce. Join us to elevate your recruitment strategy and build a thriving organizational culture.

Presenter: Olivia Rodgers, Customer Success Manager and Hiring Specialist, MITC
Olivia has a strong track record of helping agencies streamline and strengthen their hiring processes. Through tailored trainings, hands-on support, and data-informed strategies, she empowers teams to attract, assess, and retain top talent more effectively.

Objectives: Following this course, the learner will:

  • Analyze and summarize three monetary benefits and three non-monetary benefits of working at their agency, and how to include the information in their job postings;
  • Assess job posting strategies by evaluating the effectiveness of job posting platforms and recruitment methods and discussing how the approaches connect with potential applicants and influence the quality of candidate pools; and
  • Craft effective job posts that will engage applicants and highlight key benefits of agency employment.

Certificates of attendance are available to RCPA members who attend this webinar; anyone interested in a certificate should contact Cathy Barrick. To apply for CEs, you will need to register for the RCPA Annual Conference Strive to Thrive and indicate you attended the webinar in your CE packet, which will be made available on the mobile app.

Contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for details, or visit the RCPA Conference website for information on workshops, sponsors, exhibitors, and more!

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has begun distributing notifications related to Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) and Pay-for-Performance (P4P) awards to designated representatives of residential providers.

If you have not yet received your PBC or P4P notification, please contact ODP electronically.

If you believe there is a discrepancy in your tier determination or P4P award, please reach out directly to Tim Sohosky for assistance with resolving the issue.

ODP Announces New IM4Q Leads

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) recently welcomed two new leads to the IM4Q community. Abigale Bowen is taking over for Alisha Walker at Ebensburg Center. Mark Costello brings prior IM4Q experience as a monitor to his new position as the IM4Q lead in the Southeast Region. Both introduced themselves at the recent regional meetings. Welcome, Abigale and Mark!

2024-2025 Contacts List

The IM4Q Contacts List (v2.9) can be found here. Please take a moment to verify this information, and if an update needs to be made, please notify ODP and technical advisors at the earliest opportunity. When contact information is not current or correct, then the appropriate people are not informed.

April Regional Meeting Minutes

Consolidated minutes taken from the three regional meetings can be found here. If there are any questions, please contact your ODP regional leads. Dates and Zoom links for the October 2025 meetings are listed at the end of the minutes.

Enterprise Case Management (ECM) Update

The IM4Q ECM work group met with ODP, Public Consulting Group (PCG), and Accenture (the DHS vendor), for discovery sessions related to the IM4Q pre-survey and considerations processes to be implemented within the new platform. The sessions went well, especially with the creation of process flows for each, which provided everyone the ability to visually follow the discussions. The next discovery sessions involving IM4Q will be during the reporting epic, but no firm dates have been provided.

ODP sincerely thanks all the work group members who were able to participate in the sessions and the additional clarification meetings held with the ODP Functional Architect!

ODESA 2.0

The Human Services Research Institute (HSRI), which oversees the National Core Indicators (NCI) Project, still projects implementation of the new data entry platform for most states on July 1. HSRI and the vendor met with ODP, technical advisors, and several local programs to receive feedback on proposed overall changes and what other features would be helpful. However, with the number of customizations needed for Pennsylvania, ODESA 2.0 will not be available for data entry until November, which aligns with when the current ODESA generally opens.

End of 2024 – 2025 Cycle

This is a reminder that all interviews and data entry must be completed by June 30, and there will be no exceptions. If any local programs are experiencing last-minute issues with either of these activities, please contact the technical advisors and your regional lead immediately!

2025 Annual Statewide Training

As a reminder, the 2025 IM4Q Annual Statewide Training (AST) will occur at the Harrisburg Hilton on July 29 – 30. The Institute on Disabilities expects to issue the final agenda, including the link for registration, in the next several weeks. The registration fee is $75 per person. Supports Coordinators are again offered the opportunity to have two attend the AST for the price of one. A block of hotel rooms has been reserved for $159 per night. Any Steering Committee members interested in attending and who need to book a room should contact Mary Kay Cunningham.

  • Questions for the Deputy Secretary
    ODP Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens will again offer welcoming remarks at the beginning of the AST. As mentioned during the April meetings, ODP and the technical advisors encourage everyone to submit any questions for her to address to Lee Stephens by June 13. There may also be a short opportunity for her to address questions directly from the audience.
  • Keynote Addresses
    The first keynote session will be presented by Patrice Jetter of Hamilton, NJ. Ms. Jetter is an athlete, a school crossing guard, an artist, and a member of the disability community. A link to preview her documentary, Patrice: The Movie, will be included with the reservation confirmation.

    The second keynote presentation will feature four panelists long associated with IM4Q: self-advocate Bill Krebs; former Deputy Secretary Nancy Thaler and IM4Q innovator Dana Olsen, both retired from ODP; and former Executive Director Celia Feinstein, retired from the Institute on Disabilities.

  • Baskets for Raffle
    The basket raffle returns! The fun committee is again organizing a collection of baskets to be raffled on Tuesday evening (the 29) at the dessert reception. They are asking that, as the IM4Q community, you kindly participate by donating an interesting basket to this event. Collaboration between AEs and local programs is encouraged but not required. Baskets may be filled with specialty foods, coffees, garden materials, or plan a beach theme, night at the movies, sports items, or things for which your county or area is known. Have fun with it and be as creative as you’d like! Please consider supporting this activity through your contribution. Please contact Nancy LeClair if you have any questions or to confirm that your AE and/or local program will participate.