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Criminal Justice

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
CONTACT:
Fady Sahhar, COO
M: 856-397-5040

HARRISBURG, May 25, 2021 — ProVantaCare is leading the way in managed care with its proven, innovative model for coordinating services in the fields of behavioral health, drug and alcohol addiction, long-term care services, physical disabilities, and intellectual and developmental disabilities.

Some of the state’s largest social service and human service providers are part of the provider-owned network, which began as the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Services Organization (RCPSO) in 2014. After a seven-year track record of success, RCPSO has completed its months-long transition into the newly named ProVantaCare.

With more than 80 owners, ProVantaCare specializes in partnering with managed care organizations to expand access by assembling quality care networks that perform to the highest standards in these social service and human service fields.

ProVantaCare’s innovative models drive enhancements through improvements with data management, streamlined contracting, and streamlined operations. Because of its expansive network and years of expertise, customers and clients can be confident about continuously improved outcomes, an area of intense focus among state and federal regulators.

“I’m excited about the new name and new direction,” said Susan Blue, President of Community Services Group and Board Chair of ProVantaCare. “We have an established track record of relationships with regulators, payers, and other stakeholders, and now we have a new identity that better defines what we do — and one that our customers and clients can relate to.”

RCPSO was started by members of the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association, one of the largest and most diverse state health and human services trade associations in the nation, with more than 350 members serving well over 1 million Pennsylvanians annually. ProVantaCare is a fully separate, stand-alone organization with its own bylaws and board of directors.

About ProVantaCare:
Coordinating managed care services for patients and providers in the fields of behavioral health, drug and alcohol addiction, long-term care services, physical disabilities, intellectual and developmental disabilities. For more information, please visit ProVantaCare’s website.

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On May 19, 2021, the Senate Finance Committee conducted a hearing, “COVID-19 Health Care Flexibilities: Perspectives, Experiences, and Lessons Learned,” that focused on how the flexibilities granted during the pandemic have been beneficial to patients and assisted providers in responding to the public health emergency (PHE). The hearing also discussed the potential for permanent policy changes after the pandemic and focused heavily on the support of telehealth.

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Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

The Department of Human Services (DHS) issued an update regarding the implementation of an Enterprise Case Management (ECM) system to support the administration and management of various DHS-supervised programs.

A primary goal of ECM is to provide a complete picture of the DHS services provided to participants and families through multiple DHS program offices, regardless of the human services program or county providing the service. ECM will be implemented on a common technology platform that will be configured for various case management system needs across DHS programs. ECM will provide DHS staff and business partners with the tools needed to effectively serve participants by eliminating redundancies, lessening administrative burden, and streamlining core processes. ECM will mostly affect the Offices of Administration (OA), Children, Youth and Families (OCYF), Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL), Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), Long-Term Living (OLTL), and Developmental Programs (ODP). When implemented, ECM will support a statewide child welfare case management system; enrollment and case management for Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS); intake and management for hearings and appeals; and application, enrollment, and support services for programs administered by OLTL. ECM will replace several legacy systems across program offices through the implementation of one common solution, composed of the following four major subsystems:

  • Home and Community-Based Services Subsystem (HCBSS): The HCBSS will replace what is currently known as the Home & Community Services Information System (HCSIS). It will serve as the enrollment and case management system for the DHS program offices, counties, and providers supporting the HCBS programs, including Medicaid waivers.
  • Hearings and Appeals: The Hearings & Appeals subsystem will replace the collection of legacy systems DHS uses to manage appeals under the jurisdiction of the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals (BHA).
  • Office of Long-Term Living Enrollment Services: The OLTL Enrollment Services subsystem will be used by an Enrollment Services Entity and DHS to manage the process to assist individuals/participants in exploring and applying for Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS).
  • Child Welfare Case Management (CW CM): The CW CM subsystem will create a single, statewide Child Welfare Case Management System for all Pennsylvania Counties.

The ECM At a Glance document contains a high-level overview of DHS’ ECM initiative, positive impacts to participants, goals and objectives, scope and interfaces, and the anticipated timelines for subsystem implementations.

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Today, Governor Tom Wolf signed a renewal of the Proclamation of Disaster Emergency for the COVID-19 pandemic.

“COVID-19 vaccinations have increased dramatically in recent weeks, and we are making significant progress in the fight to stop the spread of COVID-19,” said Governor Wolf. “As previously announced, we are lifting all mitigation measures on Memorial Day, but we need just a little more time under this current disaster declaration to ensure that we do not risk valuable resources that will help Pennsylvania recover from the pandemic.

“The disaster declaration allows more medical professionals to administer vaccines, ensures families harmed financially by the pandemic have access to healthy food through SNAP benefits, and ensures Pennsylvania counties and businesses remain eligible for federal disaster recovery dollars.

“We will continue to monitor vaccination rates and adjust mitigation orders accordingly. I have been in touch with the General Assembly regarding this extension, and we will continue to collaborate on the future of this disaster declaration and any future declarations that become necessary to help Pennsylvanians in the midst of an emergency.”

The emergency disaster declaration renewed today provides for increased support to state agencies involved in the continued response to the virus and recovery for the state during reopening.

The disaster declaration has allowed for waivers and extensions to continue to provide for Pennsylvanians and businesses under the unprecedented circumstances of the pandemic, including the ability to waive the one-week waiting period to receive unemployment compensation and the registration requirement with PA CareerLink for applicants and allowing the commonwealth to suspend numerous training requirements and certification and licensure renewals for health care professionals, child care workers, direct care workers, direct support professionals, among other professional groups who provide life-sustaining services to our children, seniors, and vulnerable residents. The flexibilities available because of the disaster declaration have allowed many more health care professionals to provide services virtually during the pandemic, expanding opportunities for individuals to seek needed physical and mental health services. It allows the commonwealth to increase the number of vaccine providers and improve vaccine distribution.

Through the disaster declaration, PEMA has been able to assign the National Guard to provide various types of support for long term care facilities, including providing direct patient care support, ancillary support, and testing, and at community-based testing sites. It also provides PEMA with the ability to leverage continued federal support such as non-congregate sheltering.

You can view the announcement at the Governor’s website. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

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Wednesday, June 23, 2021 from 1:00 pm–2:00 pm
REGISTER

Join us to learn about StudyMoney.us, an exciting new financial education website for people with disabilities and families that makes learning about money management fun, effective, and engaging!

StudyMoney.us was originally created in 2017 as a companion to Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation’s book, Cents and Sensibility: A Guide to Money Management, the first comprehensive financial education curriculum developed specifically for people with disabilities. The newly rebuilt StudyMoney.us, launched in May 2021, features new content, a new look, full accessibility, and activities and quizzes to motivate and challenge learners.

Attendees will learn about:

  • The content covered in StudyMoney.us and why this information is important for the disability community;
  • How StudyMoney.us can best be used by both learners and instructors;
  • Fun, informative, and interactive activities available on StudyMoney.us;
  • Additional financial education resources available for both learners and instructors; and
  • A case study using StudyMoney.us and Cents and Sensibility with college students with disabilities.

This webinar is part of Money Talks, a free series hosted by Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation on financial empowerment for people with disabilities. If you are a person with a disability, a family member of someone who has a disability, an advocate, an educator, or a service provider, this series is for you. Sessions will include 30-45 minutes of interactive learning and 15 minutes for questions. Each session will be fully accessible, and recordings and slides will be made available.

Learn more, view previously recorded webinars, and register for this month’s webinar at PATF.

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The Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is participating in the National Council on Disability Webinar titled Enforceable Accessible Medical Equipment Standards: A Necessary Means to Address Health Care Needs of People with Mobility Disabilities. The webinar will take place at 10:00 am–11:00 am ET on Thursday, May 20, 2021. For more information and register, see the announcement below:

The National Council on Disability invites you to join a policy briefing and discussion of its forthcoming report:
Enforceable Accessible Medical Equipment Standards: A Necessary Means to Address Health Care Needs of People with Mobility Disabilities
May 20, 2021
10:00 am–11:00 am, EDT

This briefing will be held via Zoom meeting platform.

Speakers Include:

  • Andrés Gallegos, Chairman, National Council on Disability
  • Dave Yanchulis, Director, Office of Technical and Information Services, U.S. Access Board
  • Robinsue Frohboese, Acting Director, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office for Civil Rights
  • Alyse Bass, Trial Attorney, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section
  • Clarette Yen, Attorney Advisor, U.S. Department of Justice, Civil Rights Division, Disability Rights Section
  • Peter Thomas, Principal at Powers Law Firm, and coordinator of the ITEM Coalition
  • Sarah Triano, Senior Director of Policy & Innovation, Complex Care, Centene Corporation

RSVP Online

Please let us know of any accommodation requests as soon as possible by sending an email
to Kimie Eacobacci.

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