Telehealth Alert: Guidance on Previous Client Verbal Consent Directives
RCPA OMHSAS Telehealth Update & Guidance
Resolution Directing Study of Addiction Treatment Rate-Setting Passes Senate Committee
One-Time Federal Student Debt Relief Announced
Up to $20,000 in debt relief is available to those who received a Federal Pell Grant in college and meet the income requirements. Up to $10,000 in debt relief is available to those who received a Federal Pell Grant in college and meet the income requirements.
The U.S. Department of Education is providing this one-time debt relief as part of the Biden-Harris Administration student debt relief plan.
Apply for student debt relief, or get more information at Federal Student Aid.
A Measurement-Based Care Q&A With the Experts at Yale Webinar — November 3
The team at Greenspace Health is hosting their third and final educational panel with the researchers and renowned psychologists at the Yale Measurement-Based Care Collaborative. You won’t want to miss this session with The Collaborative— it’s your chance to build on your knowledge of MBC and learn from the researchers driving its momentum.
Greenspace is excited to invite you to this live Q&A session with the Yale MBC experts to build on your knowledge of MBC and learn from those driving its momentum. Over 650 clinicians and clinical leaders attended the first two sessions. You won’t want to miss this event!
ASK ME ANYTHING: A Measurement-Based Care Q&A With the Experts at Yale is coming up on November 3 at 1:00 pm EDT. Visit here to register now! Greenspace hopes you can make it, and please feel free to share the event with anyone on your team.
Watch this short video for highlights from the last panel!
RCPA-Backed Prudent Pay Bill Passes Senate Committee
Today, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee unanimously voted HB 2530, which focused on the elimination of prudent pay for IDD providers, out of committee. The bill will be placed on the Senate voting calendar and is expected to have a final vote next week, which is the final fall session week for the Senate. Once the bill is approved, it will go to the Governor for his signature.
RCPA is grateful for all the technical assistance Bill Harriger, President and CEO of Verland, provided throughout the legislative process, and to all RCPA members who contacted their state legislators.
If you have questions, please contact Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.
OMHSAS Releases BH Telehealth Phase II Roadmap
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is pleased to share the Pennsylvania Behavioral Health Telehealth Phase II Roadmap, which was developed in collaboration with the OMHSAS Telehealth Steering Committee and Mercer Government Services Consulting. This report focuses on identifying and prioritizing recommendations for short-term and long-term implementation of telehealth services in the Commonwealth. The roadmap includes example documents developed by the Steering Committee that can be used and personalized by the provider when implementing telehealth services. The work of the Steering Committee and other stakeholders has been and will continue to be vital in ensuring that the behavioral health needs of Pennsylvanians continue to be met.
RCPA recommends that your agency reviews the document with your teams as well as compares it to your current policies and practices. These recommendations are not mandates but offer a series of best practices as developed by the Behavioral Health Steering Committee. Additionally, RCPA will conduct an internal review and will request OMHSAS attend the next Telehealth Committee Meeting.
If you have questions regarding this report, please email OMHSAS and/or RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
Federal Public Health Emergency Extended to January 2023
The Department of Health and Human Services has extended the Federal Public Health Emergency (PHE) an additional 90 days to mid-January 2023. The extension will allow for ongoing flexibilities in areas like telehealth and its continuation.
In addition to this 90-day extension, under the Budget Act of 2022, President Biden created a built-in 151-day extension of these flexibilities at the end of any PHE. With that extension, the current flexibilities would be in effect until June 2023.
If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director. See below for the determination renewal:
RENEWAL OF DETERMINATION THAT A PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCY EXISTS
As a result of the continued consequences of the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, on this date and after consultation with public health officials as necessary, I, Xavier Becerra, Secretary of Health and Human Services, pursuant to the authority vested in me under section 319 of the Public Health Service Act, do hereby renew, effective October 13, 2022, the January 31, 2020, determination by former Secretary Alex M. Azar II, that he previously renewed on April 21, 2020, July 23, 2020, October 2, 2020, and January 7, 2021, and that I renewed on April 15, 2021, July 19, 2021, October 15, 2021, January 14, 2022, April 12, 2022, and July 15, 2022, that a public health emergency exists and has existed since January 27, 2020, nationwide.
OMHSAS Monthly Stakeholder Call Registration
The next OMHSAS County/County Affiliate/Provider/Advocate Stakeholder Meeting will take place on Tuesday, October 18, 2022 from 1:00 pm – 2:00 pm. Please register to participate.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar.
Call-in Number: 213-929-4212 / Access Code: 577224169#
We expect there to be several critical updates on telehealth questions that have been submitted, including clarifications on the new verbal consent requirements.
In the meantime, if you have suggestions for agenda topics for October’s webinar, please submit them via email by COB this Friday, 10/14/22.
Senate Resolution Directs Study of How DHS Determines Funding Allocations, Rates for D&A System
Sen. Brooks will introduce a resolution today that directs the Joint State Government Commission (JSGC) to study and issue a report on the specific data, calculations, and mechanisms that the Department of Human Services uses to determine the amount of Medical Assistance capitation funding ultimately paid to drug and alcohol addiction treatment providers within the Commonwealth.
The complete resolution, which includes a detailed listing of requirements of what the JSGC must analyze and report, can be viewed here.
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