Governor Wolf Announces Progress, Renewal of Opioid Disaster Declaration
ICYMI: OMHSAS Deputy Secretary Kovich Stakeholder Budget Briefing
Lynn Kovich, Deputy Secretary at OMHSAS, held a budget briefing webinar for stakeholders. Topics included state mental health facilities, Community/Hospital Integration Projects Program (CHIPPs) / Southeast Integration Projects Program (SIPPs) summary, regulations overview, 1115 Waiver, Community HealthChoices (CHC), and more. Please see the PowerPoint presentation for details; thank you.
Opioid Crisis Spurs Medicaid Funds Push
Registration Open for Alliance of Community Service Providers DSP Conference
The Alliance of Community Service Providers has opened online registration for their 16th Annual Conference for Direct Support Professionals (DSP). The event will be held Friday, April 20, 2018, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Philadelphia Hilton on City Avenue. The conference is open to all direct support professional staff who provide services to individuals with intellectual disabilities, behavioral health needs, and/or substance use disorders.
Several workshops are scheduled throughout the day focusing on adult mental health, children and families, addictions, intellectual disabilities, advocacy, and professional development. For more information and to register, use this link.
The Pennsylvania Peer Support Coalition (PaPSC) Conference Registration is Now Open!
Conference Information
Price:
To Register: |
*On Thursday, April 5, conference participants are invited to attend an informational and networking event from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm in the Gallery Room of the Ramada Inn conference center. Learn more about PaPSC, receive information about the move of Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) credentialing to the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB), and meet other CPS’s from throughout the Commonwealth!
Gov. Wolf Proposes Drug Court Funding as Key Component of Opioid Epidemic Fight
(Text of Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency February 14 press release)
Harrisburg, PA. — As part of his 2018-19 proposed budget, Governor Tom Wolf is recommending $2 million for new drug courts and the expansion and enhancement of existing courts through an appropriation to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
“Drug courts are a key component in the fight against the opioid epidemic,” PCCD Chairman Charles Ramsey said. “These courts address the underlying addiction and mental health issues of people involved in the criminal justice system while holding them accountable for their actions.”
The 2016-17 budget included $300,000 for drug courts and was expanded to $2 million in the 2017-18 budget. An additional $1 million in federal CURES Act funding was also used during 2017.
Through a competitive grant process, PCCD awarded funding to counties to support the implementation of new drug courts, the expansion of existing drug courts, the expansion of support services to drug court participants, and/or opioid-related treatment services to problem-solving court participants.
“PCCD has a long history of being involved in the expansion of the use of problem-solving courts across the Commonwealth,” Ramsey said. “We will continue to work with the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania’s Courts to support activities that improve the operation of drug courts through advanced training and accreditation, as well as expanding the availability of this valuable sentencing alternative.”
For additional information on funding availability and to register for funding notifications, please visit PCCD’s website at www.pccd.pa.gov.
Media contact: Kirsten Kenyon, 717-265-8505
DHS Guidance for Ordering, Referring and Prescribing
The Department of Human Services has been working in collaboration with Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), county oversight organizations, and RCPA regarding the concerns and challenges with implementing federal Ordering, Referring and Prescribing (ORP) requirements by the January 1, 2018 deadline. The Department of Human Services has informed RCPA of the following:
- The ORP requirements for Fee-for-Service continue to apply; i.e., allORP practitioners must be enrolled in the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (MA) Program or the rendering provider will not be paid.
- In the HealthChoices managed care delivery system, if a rendering network provider submits a claim to an MCO with the National Provider Identifier (NPI) information that results in edits identifying that the non-networkORP is not enrolled in MA, the claim can be paid. However, if the non-MA enrolled ORP has a high volume of claims, the MCO will work with the network provider and non-MA enrolled ORP to have them enroll in MA or work to transition the member to an enrolled MA provider.
Contact your contracting BH-MCO for additional information.
Self-Paced Online Courses through SAMHSA BHbusiness
The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) offers 14 self-paced online business courses to behavioral health organizations and providers through BHbusiness. The courses are available at no cost and participants can earn continuing education credits at their own pace.
New courses include Value-Based Purchasing and Bundled Payments. Other course offerings include:
- Data-Driven Decision Making;
- New Business Planning;
- Assessing Your Readiness in Integrating Primary Care;
- Costing Out Your Services;
- Effectively Marketing Your Services;
- Exploring Affiliations and Mergers;
- Improving Your Third Party Billing System;
- Planning For the Next Generation of HIT (Health Information Technology);
- State Assessment on Sustaining SUD Service for Safety Net Populations;
- Strategic Business Decision Making;
- Third Party Contract Negotiations; and
- Eligibility and Enrollment: The ACA, Insurance Eligibility, and Your Business.
The link to the registration page can be found here.
Are You Ready When Patients Call? Their Survival & Yours Depend on It!
Community HealthChoices Information & Resources
The Department of Human Services (DHS) recently issued the following information and resources in preparation for the roll-out of Community HealthChoices (CHC) beginning January 2018 in the Southwest zone of the state.
Coming to the Southwest Zone in January 2018
The Department of Human Services (DHS) is committed to open and frequent communication to educate and inform individuals who will move to Community HealthChoices (CHC). It is critical that they are aware of the upcoming changes and are able to make an informed decision on their plan selection. We are using multiple channels to get the message out, and want to ensure that you are aware of upcoming information that potential participants will receive.
- INFORMATIONAL FLYER
Participants in the Southwest Zone received this flyer (also available in Spanish) in August 2017 to inform them that CHC was coming to their county in January 2018.
- CHC Community Meetings for Participants
Participants in the Southwest will receive an invitation to community meetings in late September.
There will be more than 40 events in the Southwest Zone, with at least one in each of the 14 impacted counties. The meetings will give more information about CHC, the LIFE program, and answer questions participants may have.
To register for a community meeting, participants can go to www.healthchoices.pa.gov or call 1-833-735-4416. A copy of the invitation is available here.
- Notices
DHS will mail notices to potential participants beginning today. The notice will inform participants that they will transition to CHC in January and will need to select a health plan, also called a managed care organization (MCO).
The notice also tells potentially eligible participants that they may be eligible for the LIFE program.
Copies of the notices are be available here.
- Pre-Enrollment Packets
Beginning on October 2, 2017, pre-enrollment packets will be mailed to participants. This packet will contain information about each of the health plans and the benefits offered by each plan, and tell participants how to enroll in a health plan. There will be a toll-free number and website for participants to use to make their selection. A day after the packets are mailed, automated calls will be made to let participants know that the packets are coming.
If participants do not select a health plan, they will get a follow-up call.
Individuals who do not select a plan by November 13, 2017, will be assigned to a plan. Individuals can change their plan at any time.
- Social Media
DHS’ Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube accounts make CHC information readily available. If you are not following us yet, please click the provided links to make sure you are receiving all up-to-date information on CHC and all department priorities.
(Map, Community HealthChoices Phases)
Prev