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Brain Injury

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The FDA has approved and authorized for emergency use updated COVID-19 vaccines (2024-2025 formula) that include a monovalent (single) component that corresponds to the omicron variant KP.2 strain of SARS-CoV-2. These vaccines were updated to provide better protection against COVID-19 caused by circulating variants. Two vaccines are available for use in the United States: 2024–2025 Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine and 2024–2025 Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine. There is no preference for one vaccine over the other when more than one vaccine is recommended for an age group

Who should get the vaccine?

Everyone ages 6 months and older should get the 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine. This includes people who have received a COVID-19 vaccine before and people who have had COVID-19. The COVID-19 vaccine helps protect you from severe disease, hospitalization, and death.

It is especially important to get your 2024–2025 COVID-19 vaccine if you are:

  • Ages 65 and older,
  • At high risk for severe COVID-19
  • Have never received a COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Are living in a long-term care facility
  • Are pregnant, breastfeeding, trying to get pregnant, or might become pregnant in the future.
  • Want to lower your risk of getting Long COVID

People who recently had COVID-19:

  • People who recently had COVID-19 may delay getting a COVID-19 vaccine for 3 months.
  • The risk of getting COVID-19 is less likely in the weeks to months following a SARS-CoV-2 infection.

Certain factors could be reasons to get a vaccine sooner rather than later, such as:

  • Personal risk of severe COVID-19
  • Risk of COVID-19 in a family or household member or other close contact
  • local levels of COVID-19 illness

Keep in mind‎:

  • Vaccine protection decreases over time, so it is important to stay up to date with your COVID-19 vaccine.
  • Getting a COVID-19 vaccine is a safer, more reliable way to build protection than getting sick with COVID-19.

RCPA will be hosting our fall golf outing to support the RCPA PAC on Monday, September 23, 2024, in conjunction with the Annual Conference. Conference attendees, exhibitors, sponsors, and presenters can now register to participate in the RCPA PAC’s golf outing at the Colonial Golf & Tennis Club at 4901 Linglestown Road, Harrisburg, PA 17112. Registration and lunch will be held from 11:00 am – 12:00 pm, with the shotgun start beginning at 12:00 pm.

Sponsorships are available for this worthwhile cause. We hope you will consider becoming a golf outing sponsor; it is a great way for your organization to receive name recognition as well as an opportunity to support the RCPA fundraiser!

Not a golfer but would still like to support the RCPA PAC? For your convenience, you can now make a personal online contribution, which will provide financial support to state legislators or representatives who have demonstrated a strong, consistent, and positive interest in our legislative priorities. If you are interested in learning more about the RCPA PAC or donating, please visit our website, download the PAC FAQ Card and Donation Card, or email Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.

See you on the golf course! If you have any questions regarding registration, please contact Christine Tartaglione.

The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released an informational bulletin, as well as a slide presentation, that are related to continuity of coverage for individuals receiving home and community-based services (HCBS). The purpose of the bulletin is to highlight the federal renewal requirements and available flexibilities to promote continuity of coverage.

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The office of Medical Assistance has issued an update on EVV compliance to advise providers of changes to the manual edit thresholds for Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) records in both personal care services (PCS) and home health care services (HHCS), effective with dates of service on and after January 1, 2025.

This bulletin applies to providers enrolled in the MA Program who render PCS and HHCS to beneficiaries or participants in the MA fee-for-service (FFS) delivery system, including through home and community-based services waivers and the managed care delivery system via Physical HealthChoices or Community HealthChoices. Beneficiaries may receive services in the following programs:

  • Office of Developmental Programs (ODP): Adult Autism Waiver, Community Living Waiver, Consolidated Waiver, Person/Family Directed Support Waiver, and Base Funded Program;
  • Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL): OBRA Waiver, Act 150, and Community HealthChoices; or,
  • Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP): MA FFS and Physical HealthChoices.

Read the full bulletin here. This bulletin will be a key topic at the RCPA PD&A meeting on September 11, for which you can register here.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar or Melissa Dehoff.

Thursday, September 5, 2024
11:00 am – 12:00 pm EDT; 10:00 am – 11:00 am CDT;

9:00 am – 10:00 am MDT; 8:00 am – 9:00 am PDT
Register Here

Dr. Jonathan Pool
Speaker Bio:

Dr. Jonathan Pool is a music therapist and researcher at the Cambridge Institute for Music Therapy Research located in Cambridge, England. He is a senior arts therapist at Chroma, providing clinical supervision to many therapists across the United Kingdom.

He trained as a music therapist and then as a researcher at Anglia Ruskin University. He was awarded his PhD in 2013 for his research in brief group music therapy for cognitive functional gains and emotional needs of adult brain injury survivors in community neurorehabilitation.

Jonathan’s work includes developing interdisciplinary interventions for people with acquired brain injury and their families. As a researcher, he is dedicated to developing evidence on the use of music and music therapy in assessment and intervention for people affected by neurological impairments and diseases, with a special interest in disorders of consciousness. He is passionate about improving lives and reducing suffering through the use of music.

Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:

  • Understand why a music-based assessment is ideal for the assessment of children and young people with Disorders of Consciousness (DoC);
  • Gain knowledge of the development of the MuSICCA – a music-based assessment tool;
  • Learn how the MuSICCA is used to assess consciousness in pediatric DoC;
  • Learn about how the MuSICCA is being tested for validity, reliability, and clinical utility; and
  • Understand how it can support goal setting and planning of care and treatment.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.

Level: Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced applicants selected through a Request for Applications (RFA) process to administer Pennsylvania’s Community HealthChoices (CHC) program, the Medicaid managed care program that covers adults who are dually eligible for Medicare and Medicaid or who qualify to receive Medicaid long-term services and supports due to a need for the level of care provided in a nursing facility.

Selected applicants will now move to a readiness review period before the agreements are fully executed.

The five selected plans will be available statewide. They include the three current incumbents and two plans new to Community HealthChoices:

  • Aetna Better Health of Pennsylvania
  • Health Partners Plans
  • PA Health and Wellness
  • UPMC For You
  • Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas/Keystone First)

RCPA will be reaching out to the selected applicants to be at the upcoming PD&A meeting in September. If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar or Melissa Dehoff.

Due to significant water damage to the Honor’s Suite at 333 Market Street Tower, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) is notifying the public that the September 4 and the October 2 LTSS meetings will be held via Webinar and Remote Streaming only from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.

Register here for the September 4 webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Remote captioning and streaming services will be provided. If you require these services, please visit the remote captioning and streaming services link.

Regular communication will be sent for the October 2 webinar after the September meeting.

If there are any questions, please send an email to the LTSS Subcommittee inbox.