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Intellectual & Developmental Disabilities

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Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

ODP Announcement 21-030 provides notice of the public comment period for the temporary increases to the Fee Schedule Rates for Community Participation Support (CPS) services and Transportation Trip services effective January 1, 2021 through June 30, 2021. Public comment will be accepted on these changes until 11:59 pm on May 3, 2021.

On February 3, 2021, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) announced the implementation of temporary increases to Fee Schedule Rates to CPS and Transportation Trip services (see ODP Announcement 21-017). This announcement also indicated that a notice would be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin and include instructions for public comment on the temporary rate increases. On April 3, 2021, the notice was published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin Volume 51, Number 14, marking the start of public comment period. The title of this notice is Temporary Fee Schedule Rates for Community Participation Support and Transportation Trip Services Funded Through the Consolidated, Community Living, Person/Family Directed Support and Adult Autism Waivers and the Community Intellectual Disability Base-Funded Program. You may obtain the notice by visiting here.

The increases to the rates for these services are being made due to impacts on service as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The temporary Fee Schedule Rates have been loaded to PROMISE, and providers have been able to bill the increased Fee Schedule Rates starting February 3, 2021. The Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS) was automatically updated to include the new CPS and Transportation Trip Fee Schedule Rates. Critical revisions to Individual Support Plans (ISPs) will not be necessary to implement the change to the Fee Schedule Rates. Providers should review service authorizations to confirm that they are billing the increased Fee Schedule Rate.

Comments on these temporary increases may be submitted until 11:59 pm on May 3, 2021. Comments received within 30 days of publication of this notice will be reviewed and considered for revisions to the rates. Written comments should be addressed to the Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs, Division of Provider Assistance and Rate Setting, 4th Floor, Health and Welfare Building, 625 Forster Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Comments may also be sent via email. Use subject header ”PN COVID Fee Schedule.”

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ODP Announcement 21-029 provides information on the registration process for Office of Developmental Programs (ODP’s) Virtual QM Certification classes to be held July–December 2021. ODP offers this QM Certification curriculum in order to build system capacity and ensure success in applying QM principles and practices. The curriculum is aimed at enhancing the QM knowledge and skills of ODP staff and stakeholders across the service delivery system

Class design considers the needs of beginners, as well as those with QM experience. Here are key things that you should know:

✓ Classes are now offered virtually, via the Zoom© platform.
✓ Class size is limited to 21, and registration is on a first come, first serve basis. Registration will close 15 days prior to the start of a class, and there is not a waitlist option.
✓ Classes are held over 2 consecutive days, from 9:30 am – 2:30 pm, and participants must attend the entire time.
✓ Prerequisite modules were created to prepare learners for the class, and completion is required prior to taking part in the class.

  • ODP is currently updating and streamlining the prerequisite modules, and these will be made available on MyODP no later than July 1, 2021.
  • Completion of the retired modules will no longer be considered sufficient to participate in upcoming classes.

✓ A post-test, with a passing score of at least 84%, is required in order to attain ODP QM Certification status. Applicants are limited to 2 attempts but must wait 24 hours between attempts.
✓ Each participant is required to submit a training evaluation at the end of the class, which is used towards improvement efforts.

UPCOMING TRAINING CLASSES (both days are 9:30 am – 2:30 pm):

July 27 – 28, 2021
August 11 – 12, 2021
September 29 – 30, 2021
October 13 – 14, 2021
November 2 – 3, 2021
December 8 – 9, 2021

See the announcement for registration information and other requirements.

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Central Penn Business Journal, April 2, 2021

By: Ioannis Pashakis
April 2, 2021 12:27 pm

Two Harrisburg health care associations were awarded a total of $250,000 in grant money as part of a national initiative to make access to telehealth services more equitable.

The Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) and the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC) announced this week that they will be using the funds to work with legislators and support strategies to ensure that as telehealth services expand as a way for patients to receive care from home that it is done equitably.

The initiative follows all-time highs in telehealth usage following the COVID-19 pandemic as providers shifted to virtual care during quarantine.

“Without being able to meet face to face in many cases, telehealth platforms quickly became the service delivery vehicle for providers, consumers, stakeholders, and payors,” said Dr. Richard Edley, president and CEO of RCPA. “As with every crisis, these challenges opened our eyes to new opportunities. But we still have a long way to ensure telehealth expands in an equitable way for providers and the communities we serve.”

RCPA and PACHC are two of six associations spanning eight states to be awarded the funding through the Delta Center for a Thriving Safety Net. The Delta Center, based in San Francisco, is a national collaborative created to foster innovation in value-based care and payment through policy initiatives.

RCPA is one of the country’s largest health and human services state associations with 350 member agencies and PACHCS represents and supports over 350 Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC).

As part of the grant, the two organizations will:

  • Drive policy and practice changes to ensure access to quality physical and behavioral services and improve integrated care through telehealth.
  • Partner with legislators and stakeholders to develop telehealth standards throughout the Commonwealth.
  • Support actionable strategies to address the social determinants of health
  • Share consumer feedback to develop training and technical assistance, health literacy campaigns and language supports.

“The integration of physical and behavioral health is critical to the future success of delivering high quality health care services to the patients of Federally Qualified Health Centers and behavioral health providers across the commonwealth,” said Cheri Rinehart, PACHC president and CEO. “The incorporation of telehealth services in the delivery of care was essential throughout the pandemic and will continue to be a crucial tool for providers to use in delivering whole person care for the communities they serve.”

Two Harrisburg associations focus on equitable telehealth care with new program. – Central Penn Business Journal (cpbj.com)

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Update provided by ANCOR:

Hello ANCOR members! Last week, we let you know that Congress had sent a bill to the President to extend the deadline to apply to the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) from the end of March to May 31 instead. President Biden officially signed that legislation into law this week. Note that the Small Business Administration (SBA) has announced that they will give lenders (banks, etc.) an extra 30 days to process applications as long as those applications are submitted by May 31st. To learn more, we encourage our members to visit the SBA’s website for more information – particularly since, as we mentioned previously, it released new application forms to use to apply for forgivable loans.

For your convenience, we share a synopsis of the extension provided by ASAE below:

PPP Extended

President Biden signed into law the two-month extension to apply for a Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) loan. As a refresher, the legislation extends PPP through May 31 and allows 501(c)(6) organizations and others more time to pursue a second PPP loan. Further, if eligible organizations apply by May 31, the Small Business Administration will permit lenders an additional 30 days to process and approve any outstanding applications.

Eligibility criteria for a second PPP loan are as follows:

  • The applicant received a first PPP loan and will or has used the loan only for authorized uses;
  • The applicant employs no more than 300 people; and
  • The applicant can demonstrate at least a 25-percent reduction in gross receipts between comparable quarters in 2019 and 2020.

The maximum loan amount of a second PPP loan is two-and-a-half times the average monthly 2019 or 2020 payroll costs, up to $2 million.

Please let us know if you have any questions on this topic.

Sincerely,
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Doris Parfaite-Claude
Federal Advocacy and Research Manager
American Network of Community Options and Resources
Alexandria VA
(703)535-7850 (108)
dparfaite-claude@ancor.org
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