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Text of March 18 press release.

Harrisburg, PA — Health care professionals licensed under any of the Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) licensing boards can provide services to patients via telemedicine during the coronavirus emergency.

“Telemedicine provides health care professionals flexibility to continue treating their patients while following best practices on social distancing as outlined by the Department of Health,” Secretary Boockvar said. “The department requested, and Governor Wolf granted us, the authority to allow health care professionals from out-of-state to treat Pennsylvania residents using telemedicine, when appropriate, due to COVID-19.”

This new guidance applies to the following boards:

o Chiropractic
o Dentistry
o Medicine
o Nursing
o Optometry
o Pharmacy
o Podiatry
o Psychology
o Osteopathic Medicine
o Nursing Home Administrators
o Occupational Therapy Education and Licensure
o Physical Therapy
o Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors
o Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
o Veterinary Medicine

Currently, no Pennsylvania law prohibits the practice of telemedicine.

Additionally, the department is working with the Governor’s office, the Department of Health, and Department of Human Services to identify regulations and requirements that can be suspended to give medical providers and facilities the flexibility they need to respond to the crisis. We will publish these notifications on our website as they become available.

Governor Wolf also granted the department’s request for a suspension to allow licensed practitioners in other states to provide services to Pennsylvanians via the use of telemedicine, without obtaining a Pennsylvania license, for the duration of the emergency. Out-of-state practitioners must:

o Be licensed and in good standing in their home state, territory, or country.

o Provide the Pennsylvania board from whom they would normally seek licensure with the following information prior to practicing telemedicine with Pennsylvanians:
• their full name, home or work mailing address, telephone number and email address; and
• their license type, license number or other identifying information that is unique to that practitioner’s license, and the state or other governmental body that issued the license.

Please submit the information requested above to the appropriate board resource account listed on the BPOA website.

All practitioners using telemedicine in Pennsylvania must remain informed on all federal and state laws, regulations and guidance regarding telemedicine, including a practitioner’s obligations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and recent guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Authorization to engage in telemedicine from a professional licensing standpoint is separate and apart from any insurance coverage/payment issues that fall under the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Insurance, or any other state or federal agency.

The Department of Human Services issued guidance for Behavioral Health Services Telemedicine here. The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs released Telehealth guidance for their programs and providers here.

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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Today Governor Wolf announced mitigation strategies to stop the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), which include the statewide closures of day program facilities including Older Adult Day facilities licensed under 6 Pa. Code Chapter 11, Adult Training Facilities licensed under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2380, and Prevocational Facilities licensed under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2390. Closures are effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and are in effect until further notice. ODP Announcement 20-022 provides further guidance regarding these closures and policy adaptations effective March 17, 2020.

Webinar – COVID-19: Update for CPS Providers, a webinar outlining the impact of COVID-19 on CPS Providers – will be presented by Deputy Secretary Ahrens tomorrow (March 17, 2020) at 1:30 pm and will be posted on the ODP Coronavirus (COVID-19) website within 3 hours. Use this registration link.

Facility-based Community Participation Support (CPS) providers are being asked to communicate with individuals, families, Supports Coordinators, and other providers to help ensure coordination of care.

ODP advises CPS providers of the following:

  • During the response to COVID-19, CPS may be provided in private homes.
  • ODP requests that providers arrange for in-home or alternate provision of the day service by facility staff when a service recipient’s family or caregiver is employed in essential roles like health care, first responders, or human services, and are reliant on the Community Participation Support day program for coverage during work.

For CPS providers who have residential, companion, or in-home support service offerings, prepare to redeploy staff from facilities to fill other essential staffing needs. Direct Support Professionals qualified under CPS may provide services in any other ODP service offering during the response to COVID-19. All staff must receive training on any participants’ ISPs for whom they are providing support. Training on the ISP must consist of basic health and safety support needs for that individual, including but not limited to the “Fatal Four.”

  • ODP encourages providers that only offer CPS to contact other provider agencies in your local area and develop cooperative arrangements to supply staff to support participants in other service areas like residential, companion, or in-home support.
  • For non-facility based CPS providers, please prepare to redeploy CPS staff to support essential supports for health and safety within your own agency or through cooperative agreements with other provider agencies.
  • ODP is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow “retainer payments” to be made to CPS providers. Additional guidance will be provided.
  • On-call and Remote Support services can be used to promote health and safety of CPS service recipients, when at home and not receiving another service. CPS providers should work with ISP Teams to coordinate details. Additional guidance will be provided.
  • Closures of facilities covered under this guidance do not need to be reported through the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) system.

See the list of Chapter 2380 and 2390 providers affected by county.

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Harrisburg, PA – To help make the public aware of COVID-19 preparedness and procedures, the Wolf Administration has created a library of free outreach materials for businesses, organizations, and anyone interested in displaying important messaging on COVID-19.

The materials are available at PAcast.

“The goal is for everyone to have access to and be encouraged to share the information important to stopping the spread of COVID-19,” Gov. Wolf said. “Please help us share awareness while using caution and protecting yourself.”

Posters are available in multiple sizes and every Pennsylvanian is encouraged to make them accessible to their community of friends, community or religious group members, and business associates to print and post. The administration also expects the posters to be available in newspapers across the state for residents to tear out and post throughout their communities.

Properly sized graphics are available at PAcast for social media. Gov. Wolf also encourages everyone to make use of COVID-19 social media content on the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s Facebook and Twitter pages.

The most up-to-date information, including video graphics, footage of all of the governor’s press conferences and b-roll, is also available at 08PAcast. Additional materials will be added to the library as they become available and as the situation evolves.

MEDIA CONTACT: Lyndsay Kensinger, 717-783-1116

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Text of March 13 press release.

HARRISBURG – The House is preparing to return for a historic session week on Monday, March 16. As a result of the Capitol complex being closed to visitors, several committee meetings, hearings and informational sessions have been postponed. Floor proceedings will go on as scheduled with an effort to work as expeditiously as possible to address key issues related to COVID-19. The session schedule could be shortened if legislation to address the virus is agreed upon. There will be no guests in the House chamber or in the gallery.

Legislation to be considered by the House is still being determined as leaders from the House, Senate and the Wolf administration collaborate on the best legislative course of action to assist in the continuing efforts to slow the spread of COVID-19 in Pennsylvania. Discussions are on-going and planned through the weekend to address possible funding, access to health care services, insurance and workplace protection reforms and the scope of a health emergency declaration.

The swearing-in ceremony for Roni Green, recently elected to represent the 190th Legislative District, will proceed as scheduled.

The public is encouraged to follow live web streams of House session and the majority of committee meetings at PAHouseGOP.com. Up to the minute changes to committee meetings and schedules is available at www.legis.state.pa.us. Important information and events may also be viewed by visiting Facebook.com/PAHouseGOP.

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Posted on Feb 12, 2020
Scarnati will retire from the Senate at the end of his term later this year

(HARRISBURG) – Senate President Pro Tempore Joe Scarnati (R-25) today announced his retirement from the Pennsylvania Senate at the end of his 5th term in office.  Senator Scarnati represents the 25th Senatorial District, which includes Cameron, Clinton, Elk, Jefferson, McKean, Potter and Tioga Counties and portions of Clearfield County.

“Today I am announcing that I will not be seeking a 6th term as Senator for the 25th Senatorial District.  At the end of this year, I will have served the people of the 25th Senatorial District for 20 years.  With the support of my Senate colleagues, I have spent the last 14 of those years in the position of President Pro Tempore and served as Pennsylvania’s 31st Lieutenant Governor from 2008 to 2011. I have worked with five Governors and throughout this time I am proud to have been a leading advocate for rural Pennsylvania values.

“While I am greatly humbled by those who have once again supported my petition to have my name on the ballot, after many conversations with family and close supporters I have made a personal, and not political, decision that I will not be filing my petitions.  My concern with leaving office has always been in large part wanting to ensure the 25th Senatorial District is well represented after my departure from the Senate.

“I came to Harrisburg in 2001 as the first Senator elected as an independent. I was disappointed by the choices that our sitting Senator at the time had made, and could not support his candidacy. My independent streak never ended there in my tenure.  I have always believed that both sides of the aisle must work together on behalf of our constituents and compromise on issues without compromising on our values.  At the same time, I have always sought to protect working families and their hard earned tax dollars. Since the days of Governor Ed Rendell’s Administration, I have actively blocked the massive proposed tax hikes on workers and businesses as proposed by his Administration and others who have followed.

“I am immensely proud of what we have accomplished for the Commonwealth during my time in the Senate. We have overseen the largest Republican majority since Eisenhower was president (34-16). We have protected the unborn by supporting a strong pro-life agenda.  We have fought to safeguard our 2nd Amendment rights that the liberal left continues to attack. In 2012, we passed a landmark Marcellus Shale Impact Fee bill to ensure responsible drilling and investments in our local communities. We have prioritized job growth and creation across Pennsylvania. We have fought for historic levels of school safety funding – and will continue that fight.

“I thank my family for their unwavering support over the last two decades. Serving in public office is not something that you do alone. I am looking forward to traveling and spending more time with my wife Amy, our children and grandchild.  I also look forward to helping my parents who are both in their 80’s.

“Throughout my time in office, I am grateful to have been surrounded by friends and fellow senators whom I respect.  My success has been largely in part because of serving with incredible colleagues and working with a team of talented individuals who are not my staff, but my co-workers. It takes a strong team to serve constituents and to oversee operations of the Senate.

“I sincerely thank my constituents for the honor of representing them. While the announcement of my future departure comes today, I will still be actively engaged in serving my district and the Senate for the next nine months. I also look forward to continuing to lead the effort this year to maintain our Senate Republican Majority.  Following my departure from the Senate, I will be taking a more active role in my business and evaluating other opportunities.”

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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Today, Governor Wolf gave his annual budget address to a joint session of the General Assembly. In the Governor’s budget, he calls for increases to health and human service line items; however, some of his requested increases are included in a supplemental appropriations bill, which is a piece of legislation that is separate from the traditional June general budget and budget code bills. RCPA reacted to the Governor’s budget proposal by releasing this statement.
Additionally, RCPA is working with the Wolf Administration to schedule a specialized budget briefing for RCPA members. Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.
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