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As part of the Independent Regulatory Reform Commission (IRRC) process for the promulgation of new regulations, the Final Form Regulations for the Psychiatric Rehabilitation Services (PRS) have been posted for review and public comment on the IRRC website. This public comment period runs for 30 days. The comments may be submitted by individuals, organizations, associations, etc. on the impacts of the regulations on the systems and individuals they serve.

The purpose of this final-form rulemaking is to amend Chapter 5230 to allow psychiatric rehabilitation services (PRS) to be provided to individuals who are diagnosed with posttraumatic stress disorder, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, or anxiety disorders without going through the exception process and to allow individuals who are 14 years of age or older but under 18 years of age who meet the admission requirements to access PRS. In addition, the final-form rulemaking clarifies the documentation that will be reviewed through the exception process to determine if an individual is eligible for PRS as well as revises outdated language.

The Department convened a work group that included stakeholders to review and provide input on the proposed rulemaking. The work group held face-to-face meetings on November 4, 2015; December 8, 2015; and January 28, 2016, to review the current regulation and provide recommendations for the proposed changes, which RCPA and its members took part in.

At this time, we are seeking any further public comment as it relates to these regulations. RCPA intends to submit comments on behalf of our members, though individuals and organizations may submit comments pertaining to the regulations directly to the IRRC website. Please submit your comments to RCPA COO and Mental Health Policy Director Jim Sharp.

The IRRC hearing on the Final Form Regulation Hearing will be held on September 19, 2024, at 10:00 am. RCPA intends to participate in the hearing to speak to our recommendations. If any member would like to attend and or testify, please contact Jim Sharp.

In accordance with DHS rebranding and the Governor’s Office Customer Service Transformation Initiative, the Office of Medical Assistance Programs will be implementing changes to the old URLs to reach PROMISe hosted applications and websites. The old URLs, using a domain naming convention of dpw.state.pa.us, will be changing to dhs.pa.gov in phased implementations beginning August 7, 2024, and wrapping up in October 2024. Please review the PDF listed below, containing the impacted production environment URLs.

See document for specific PROMISE activity URL updates.

Who is Impacted?

  • CWOPA users and registered business partners with active assigned PROMISe role permissions for each URL
  • External persons accessing the Physician Provider Directory Search
  • Providers accessing the Electronic Enrollment Application or logging into the MA and LiHeap Provider Internet Portals

When is this happening?

  • The first URL, Project Workbook access, is scheduled to change on August 7, 2024
  • The remaining URLs will be implemented in phases
  • All phases to be completed by October 1, 2024

How will these changes be communicated?

  • CWOPA users and business partners with active assigned PROMISe role permission to access URLs today will receive targeted email communication shortly before each URL change is implemented
  • Broadcast messages will run on the MA Provider and LiHeap Internet Portals
  • Providers will receive the same messaging via the ListServ
  • For a limited time after implementation, if a user tries to access an old dpw.state.pa.us URL, a redirect message will pop-up for 5 seconds instructing users to save/bookmark the new URL, then continue to the new dhs.pa.gov URL
  • The DHS Communications Office will be making pre-identified updates from old URLS to the new URLs throughout the various DHS website pages

What can I do to aid this transition?

  • The Old PROMISe URLS have been in place for a long time. We are asking for your assistance, post implementation, in identifying any remaining reference to the old URL. These references could be found on DHS SharePoint, HealthChoices Extranet, and DHS web pages or downloadable documents
  • If you discover remaining usage of the old URLs post implementation, please send a message to this email for correction. Be sure to document the exact site location of the reference and include a screen shot to aid in correction efforts.

If you have further questions, please contact the above OMPA Ra account or your respective RCPA Policy Director.

On July 19, 2024, the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) presented a Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Provider Technical Assistance Webinar. The webinar, developed and presented by OMHSAS and their partner Mercer, provided an excellent overview of the VBP landscape and valuable guidance for providers to consider future efforts to incorporate VBPs into their service matrix.

OMHSAS supports providers interested in pursuing VBP programming to contact and collaborate with their respective BH-MCOs on VBP options. The Value-Based Purchasing (VBP) Provider Technical Assistance PowerPoint provides an outline of the information covered in the webinar. Should you have any questions or comments, please contact the OMHSAS VBP Resource Account via email.

If you have any additional questions, please contact RCPA Policy Directors Jason Snyder or Jim Sharp.

Early bird rates for the 2024 RCPA Conference Embracing Challenges, Empowering Success are ending August 23meaning you won’t want to wait any longer to claim your seat, book that hotel room, and get ready to make new connections! Register today to gain access to over 60 thought-provoking workshops and speakers who are at the forefront of change in health and human services, including:

  • Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh, who will cover the State of the State, identifying both current priorities and upcoming initiatives; and
  • Vice President for State Partnerships and Innovation Donna Martin of ANCOR and Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy Reyna Taylor of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, who will give national updates on practices being implemented nationwide as well as legislative updates from Washington, DC.

View our registration brochure for complete details on the conference schedule, current sponsors and exhibitors, and a word from RCPA President and CEO Richard Edley.

Time is also running out if your organization is interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at our conference — the deadline for items is August 23, 2024! Now is your chance to complete our Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Advertisers Brochure or contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for opportunities to showcase your organization.

We look forward to sharing more details in the near future and would like to extend a thank you to those organizations who have already pledged support for the conference! View our current sponsors and exhibitors on the RCPA Conference website!