Today, the Departments of Human Services and Aging announced the release of the draft of the request for proposal (RFP) to procure Community HealthChoices (CHC) and the program requirements that will be part of the agreement with the managed care organizations (MCOs).
The draft RFP, program requirements, and a summary document are available on the CHC website. Comments on the draft RFP should be sent via email (with “Community HealthChoices” in the subject line) by Friday, December 11, 2015.
Home Care Rule
Linda Drummond, RCPA director, Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Division, is working with the PA State Independent Living Council and Temple’s Institute on Disabilities, to determine the impact of the new US Department of Labor’s Home Care Rule on providers. Please share any questions, issues, or recommendations regarding this rule with Linda Drummond, for inclusion with the document being developed for the Department of Human Services, on areas of concern impacting service providers on implementation of this rule. This may be impacting LifeSharing/Shared Living, Participant Directed, and Companionship services.
Today, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed rule, Revisions to Requirements for Discharge Planning for Hospitals, Critical Access Hospitals, and Home Health Agencies. This revises the discharge planning requirements for hospitals (including inpatient rehabilitation facilities and long term care hospitals), critical access hospitals, and home health agencies; these requirements must be met in order to participate in the Medicare and Medicaid programs. The proposed rule also implements the discharge planning requirements of the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014, which strives to improve consumer transparency and beneficiary experience during the discharge planning process, by developing a discharge plan based on the goals, preferences, and needs of each patient.
Under the proposed rule, hospitals would be required to develop a discharge plan within 24 hours of admission or registration and complete a discharge plan before the patient is discharged home or transferred to another facility. These requirements will apply to all inpatients, and certain types of outpatients, including patients receiving observation services, patients undergoing surgery (or other same-day procedures where anesthesia or moderate sedation is used), and emergency department patients who have been identified as needing a discharge plan. In addition, hospitals will be required to:
The proposed rule is scheduled to be published in the November 3, 2015 Federal Register with a 60-day comment period.
The Departments of Human Services and Aging have extended an invitation for Managed Care Organizations (MCOs) and Home and Community-based Service (HCBS) providers to convene to discuss Community HealthChoices (CHC). The purpose of the meeting is to begin the conversation between the MCOs and providers, as the transition from fee-for-service to managed care begins.
The meeting has been scheduled for Wednesday, November 4, 2015, from 1:00 to 3:00 pm at the Radisson Hotel located at 1150 Camp Hill Bypass, Camp Hill, PA 17011.
On Thursday, October 1, 2015, at 10:00 am, the House Energy and Commerce Health Subcommittee will hold a hearing, “Examining Potential Ways to Improve the Medicare Program,” that will include the review of three bills that strive to strengthen Medicare. The bills that will be examined include:
The Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) has compiled the responses from the survey conducted on the Child Protective Services Law (CPSL). Many of the questions that were posed in response to the survey are answered through the following handouts, as well as on the state’s CPSL website. Members are strongly encouraged to review the website and handouts.
The OCYF is coordinating with Bureau of Human Services Licensing to host a webinar for providers in November, in order to address questions on CPSL and provide further clarification. Additional details for this webinar will be available in the near future. After your organization has reviewed the materials provided, please send any additional, unanswered questions you may have to Nicole Good at OCYF by Friday, October 9, 2015. These questions can then be addressed during the webinar.
On September 10, 2015, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) conducted a public meeting to discuss Medicare issues and policy questions and approve reports and recommendations to the Congress. Included in the agenda was a session that focused on MedPAC’s task of developing a prototype prospective payment system (PPS) that spans across the post-acute care (PAC) settings, as mandated by the Improving Medicare Post-Acute Care Transformation (IMPACT) Act of 2014. The IMPACT Act requires MedPAC to submit a report to Congress regarding this by Thursday, June 30, 2016. Included in the meeting was their presentation Mandated Report: Developing a Unified Payment System for Post-Acute Care. It is expected that MedPAC will conduct multiple public meetings in the months ahead regarding the development of PAC PPS before presenting their draft recommendations.
Today, the Departments of Human Services (DHS) and Aging (PDA) released their Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) concept paper. This concept paper, which was developed based on public input, describes the plan’s features and includes the following highlights:
The MLTSS plan, recently re-named Community HealthChoices, is an integrated system of physical health and LTSS which focuses on improving health outcomes and allowing individuals to live safe and healthy lives with as much independence as possible. CHC supports individuals dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid, older adults, and adults with physical disabilities, in the most integrated settings possible.
Feedback on the concept paper may be submitted through Friday, October 16, 2015. The concept paper feedback will shape the November 2015 request for proposals (RFP) for CHC-MCOs. The RFP will be tentatively awarded in March 2016, contingent upon successful readiness reviews and negotiations. CHC will go live in the Southwest region in January 2017, the Southeast region in January 2018, and the Northwest, Lehigh-Capital, and Northeast regions in January 2019.
On September 15, 2015, an Info was issued regarding a webinar the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will be holding on provider credentialing for Community HealthChoices. The registration link for this webinar sent by OLTL was incorrect. Please use the corrected link below to register for the webinar.
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) will be holding a webinar on Wednesday, September 30, 2015, from 8:30 – 10:00 am for Home and Community Based Services providers and Service Coordination Entities interested in participating in Pennsylvania’s planned Managed Long Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) program, now known as Community HealthChoices. The purpose of the webinar is to provide a high level overview of OLTL’s current provider credentialing process, to obtain input on credentialing MLTSS providers, and to discuss how the provider credentialing process may look for Community HealthChoices. Information on how to access the webinar can be found below.
Dial +1 (631) 992-3221
Access Code: 787-398-715
Audio PIN: Shown after joining the webinar
Webinar ID: 103-329-483
For questions regarding this email, please contact the OLTL Provider Inquiry Line at (800) 932-0939.
The Department of Human Services Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is establishing a Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee of the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC). The kickoff meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, September 1, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm at Temple University in Strawberry Square, Harrisburg, PA.
The second meeting of the MLTSS Subcommittee will be held on Monday, September 14, from 10:00 am to 1:00 pm in the PA Department of Education Honors Suite, 333 Market Street, 1st floor, Harrisburg, PA. Future meetings will be posted on the OLTL website as dates are confirmed.
The membership of the subcommittee will be announced in the coming weeks. A majority of subcommittee members will be users of long-term living services and supports, and family caregivers. The subcommittee will advise the department on the design and implementation of MLTSS in Pennsylvania. A number of RCPA members submitted nominations to be considered for the subcommittee.
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