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The Pennsylvania Long-Term Care Learning Network invites you to the next webinar, “Transitions of Care for Long-Term Residents.” The webinar will be held Thursday, May 18, 2023, from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm.
This webinar will review the Community HealthChoices Nursing Home Transitions Program. Learn about how this program can assist and empower residents who want to move from a nursing facility back to a home of their choice in the community.
All team members are invited. Visit here to register for this webinar. You will need your National Provider Identifier (NPI) to register. If you do not have one or do not know it, please enter 0 on the registration form.
As the Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) ends on May 11, there are several areas under this declaration, including the suspension of HIPAA enforcement, that will revert to the previous compliance standards.
As the PHE ends, the Office of Civil Rights (OCR) is providing a 90-calendar day transition period for covered health care providers to come into compliance with the HIPAA Rules with respect to their provision of telehealth. This transition period will be in effect beginning on May 12, 2023, and will expire at 11:59 pm on August 9, 2023. The Department of Health and Human Services has released this notice.
The RCPA Telehealth Work Group will be meeting June 27, 2023 and is looking to have OMHSAS on the call to provide guidance on processes and auditing functions after the transition dates. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp. As this is a federal notice, questions related to this announcement should be directed to Marissa Gordon-Nguyen at 202-619–0403 or 800-537–7697 (TDD).
As the end of the Public Health Emergency (PHE) on May 11, 2023 nears, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a number of resources to help with this transition. Included in these resources are FAQs for all CMS programs, including Medicare, Medicaid, the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and private insurance. Some additional information includes:
Additionally, CMS released the Quality, Safety, & Oversight Memorandum to provide information about:
The Senate Health, Education, Labor & Pensions (HELP) Committee will hold a full committee hearing on May 4, 2023 at 1:00 pm. This hearing, “Preparing for the Next Public Health Emergency: Reauthorizing the Pandemic and All-Hazards Preparedness Act (PAHPA),” will address the PAHPA set to expire on September 30, 2023. This would be PAHPA’s first reauthorization since the COVID-19 pandemic, and there are significant lessons learned and issues to address from this experience. The Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, Food & Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Robert Califf, and Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response at the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Dawn O’Connell are a few individuals expected to testify at the hearing.
The Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee will convene for their next meeting on May 12, 2023, from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. The meeting will be held at the Pennsylvania Department of Education in the Honors Suite, 1st Floor, at 333 Market Street in Harrisburg. The meeting will be held in person and will also offer the ability to participate via webinar and remote streaming. The links to participate are provided below. Comments and questions prior to the meeting should be sent via email.
The agenda has been released for the meeting. Please note: this will be the first MLTSS meeting that the Office of Long-Term Living’s (OLTL) new Deputy Secretary, Julie Marsala, will be attending.
Conference Line and Bridge Number:
1-415-655-0052
PIN: 377387993#
Join RCPA as we host the 2023 Annual Conference, A Decade of Unity: Enhancing Lives and Shaping the Future, October 10–13. RCPA staff and the Conference Committee are excited to return to the Hershey Lodge, as we have new opportunities for sponsors and exhibitors to showcase their services! Be sure to complete the Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Advertisers brochure to reserve your spot, as space and opportunities are reserved on a first-come, first-served basis.
We already have a growing number of sponsors and exhibitors and wish to recognize the following organizations for their contributions and support for what is shaping up to be a packed week of sessions and events!
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As a reminder, sponsors, exhibitors, and advertisers who wish to be listed on the website, the mobile app, and in the conference program must submit all materials by September 8. In order to be considered for booth self-selection, a completed contract with payment must be submitted, and no reservation is considered complete without payment. If questions remain, please contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released two notices of proposed rulemaking (NPRM): Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services and Managed Care Access, Finance, and Quality.
If adopted as proposed, the rules would establish national standards for access to care regardless of whether that care is provided through managed care plans or directly by states through fee-for-service (FFS). Specifically, they would establish access standards through Medicaid or CHIP managed care plans, as well as transparency for Medicaid payment rates to providers, including hourly rates and compensation for certain home care and other direct care workers. The rules would also establish other access standards for transparency and accountability and empower beneficiary choice.
The proposed rules together include new and updated proposed requirements for states and managed care plans that would establish tangible, consistent access standards and a consistent way to transparently review and assess Medicaid payment rates across states. The rule also proposes standards to allow enrollees to easily compare plans based on quality and access to providers through the state’s website.
Other highlights from the proposed rules include:
The proposed rules will be published in the May 5, 2023, Federal Register, and comments will be accepted through July 3, 2023.
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced that they will be presenting a live, interactive, six-session webinar series on housing issues.
The webinars will be held every Wednesday, beginning May 24, 2023, through June 28, 2023, from 11:30 am – 1:00 pm. They will include targeted content and question and answer sessions with housing experts and staff from OLTL.
The information covered in this webinar series will be similar to the information covered in the 2022 OLTL housing webinar series.
This webinar series builds on information already provided in the Online Housing Training Modules and the Self-Determination Housing of Pennsylvania (SDHP)/Inglis’s Prepared Renter Program (PREP) curriculum.
This series of webinars is designed to be taken in order. The content in each session builds on prior content. Participants will get the most out of the program by taking all of the sessions in order. Although individuals are not required to complete the sessions in order, to keep the sessions focused, the webinar leader may opt to table questions that were covered in prior sessions.
The target audience for this webinar series is Service Coordinators (SC), Managed Care Organizations (MCO), and Service Coordination Entity (SCE) support staff who assist program participants in securing and maintaining affordable, accessible housing through Home and Community-Based Services. Additional target audiences for these webinars includes individuals and organizations who provide long-term services and supports for older Pennsylvanians and people with physical disabilities.
2023 OLTL Housing Series Curriculum
Webinar 1: Understanding Housing Nuances in Pennsylvania
Webinar 2: Recommended Relationships to Have in the Housing Sector
Webinar 3: Types of Housing Funding Sources
Webinar 4: Fair Housing with the Housing Equality Center of PA
Webinar 5: Keeping Participants Housed with Landlord Engagement Techniques
Webinar 6: Top 7 Housing Information Resources to be Aware Of
Registration is available.
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will be hosting the 2023 Virtual Quality Conference. The conference, Building Resilient Communities: Having an Equitable Foundation for Quality Healthcare, will be held on May 1–3, 2023 and will focus on improving quality, equity, and innovation.
Leaders in the health care space will explore and educate how advocates, providers, researchers, and champions in health care quality improvement can develop and spread solutions to address America’s most pervasive health system challenges. To view the agenda and additional information, as well as to register, use this link.