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OPEN MINDS: The Chaos Isn’t Ending
AAW Quarterly Incident and Risk Management Meeting on June 27
June 27, 2025
10:00 am – 11:30 am
Register Here
Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) providers are invited to participate in the AAW Provider Quarterly Incident and Risk Management meeting. This meeting will be held for all Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) providers and Support Coordinators (SC) providing AAW services. Pam Treadway and Heather Easley will facilitate these meetings with the intent to provide updates on incident and risk management related activities, share AAW data, inform providers of any upcoming changes, review ODP expectations, etc. Providers will be able to network with one another and ask questions directly to the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP).
The upcoming meeting will include recommendations for providers to ensure incidents are appropriately detailed so that during the Management Review process, the incident can be approved and closed. We highly encourage those who fulfill the Incident Management (IM) Representative role to attend this meeting.
Multiple staff from a provider may attend but should register separately. Be sure to complete all required information to confirm attendance. A link to the meeting will be sent prior to the scheduled meeting date.
Please contact the Provider Support inbox with questions.
Quarterly Connection for Supports Coordinators Spring 2025 Newsletter Now Available
Pharmacists on the Frontlines: Expanding the Reach of Care Teams — Webinar July 8
Pharmacists on the Frontlines: Expanding the Reach of Care Teams
Free RCPA Members-Only Webinar
Tuesday, July 8, 2025
10:00 am – 11:00 am
Register Here
Pharmacists play a vital role in improving patient outcomes through enhanced adherence strategies and collaboration with healthcare teams. This session will explore how pharmacy teams support prescribers with patient-centered services, such as medication monitoring, adherence programs, and injection administration. Attendees will gain insights into real-world approaches that strengthen care coordination and reduce treatment barriers. Through case studies and success stories, this workshop will highlight the tangible impact of pharmacy-led interventions on patient health. Whether optimizing medication management or enhancing continuity of care, pharmacists are essential partners in driving better outcomes.
Presenters:
James Steigerwalt, PharmD, Pharma Clinical Director, Altuix
Dan Kohler, PharmD, Pharmacy Manager, Altruix
Objectives: Following this course, the learner will:
- Define the pharmacist’s role in the healthcare team, focusing on strategies that improve medication adherence, enhance care coordination, and drive better patient outcomes;
- Evaluate how pharmacy teams collaborate with prescribers through patient support services, medication monitoring, and administration of long-acting injectables; and
- Analyze real-world success stories to identify best practices and measurable impacts on patient care.
Certificates of attendance are available to RCPA members who attend this webinar; anyone interested in a certificate should contact Cathy Barrick. To apply for CEs, you will need to register for the RCPA Annual Conference Strive to Thrive and indicate you attended the webinar in your CE packet, which will be made available on the mobile app.
Contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for details, or visit the RCPA Conference website for information on workshops, sponsors, exhibitors, and more!
ODP Seeks Provider Work Group Members to Join Emergency Planning and Continuity Work Group (EPCWG)
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is looking for provider representatives for an Emergency Planning and Continuity Work Group. Representatives from RCPA members that render residential habilitation and/or day services who are interested can contact Tim Sohosky by June 11, 2025.
The first initiative the group will focus on is reviewing and providing feedback on a Hazard Vulnerability Analysis (HVA) tool for residential habilitation and day services settings. This tool is essential in identifying potential risks and ensuring that emergency planning measures are comprehensive and effective. Given the increasing number of natural disasters, ODP anticipates providers may find this tool very helpful. Ultimately, ODP will make this tool, accompanying training, and technical assistance available to providers to use (voluntary).
By volunteering for this small work group, representatives will:
- Contribute professional knowledge to strengthen emergency preparedness;
- Collaborate with other dedicated providers and stakeholders;
- Help shape a more resilient community; and
- Apply a hazard analysis tool and develop potential action steps for their own agency/agencies.
ODP anticipates convening an HVA tool review meeting to discuss and review and will provide a virtual option to accommodate schedules. Tool review and feedback is expected to be three (3) meetings of 1 – 3 hours each over the next few months. On-going work group meetings would be quarterly for 90 minutes – 3 hours.
For Questions or Additional Information
Please contact Tim Sohosky with any follow-up or inquiries related to this update.
2025 Pennsylvania Autism Training Conference to Be Held Sept. 30 – Oct. 1
The Pennsylvania Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) invites you to save the date for the 2025 Pennsylvania Autism Training Conference (PATC)! The conference will be hosted virtually on September 30 – October 1, 2025.
About the Conference
PATC provides professionals working directly with children and/or adults with autism with tools, strategies, and resources to help provide the most effective support.
Who should attend?
Professionals looking to increase their knowledge of and/or ability to support individuals with autism across the spectrum and the lifespan. We welcome all individuals and the professionals who support them. Please join us!
Stay tuned for more information!
Action Needed Regarding Submission of PROMISe Claims and Eligibility Request Submissions
ACTION NEEDED to Continue Submitting Claims and Eligibility Requests Electronically and Receiving EDI Transaction Responses with PROMISe™
The Pennsylvania (PA) PROMISe™ EDI as a Service (EDIaaS) Communication Plan details what is required by Trading Partners for registration and the X12 batch file naming standard, contains guidelines for Trading Partners on how to create certain segments within an X12 batch file, and provides the response files returned to Trading Partners who submit X12 batch files using EDIaaS to PROMISe™ for processing.
For Questions or Additional Information
Please contact the PROMISe EDI Help desk for any follow-up or inquiries related to this update.
Presentations From June 4 LTSS Subcommittee Meeting, July Meeting Registration Now Available
The Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting was recently held on June 4, 2025. During the meeting, a number of presentations were given. In addition to the presentations, the agenda and a document that provided follow-up items from the May 7, 2025, LTSS Subcommittee meeting were provided.
Members should take time to review the PowerPoint presentations from the meeting below:
- Aging Out From Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnosis, and Treatment (EPSDT)
- Critical Incident Management
- Combined Living Independence for the Elderly (LIFE) Behavioral Health Services Introduction/LIFE Provider Organizations Behavioral Health Overview
- Meeting Transcript
- Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) Updates
The next LTSS Subcommittee meeting is scheduled for July 2, 2025. The meeting will be held from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm in the Forest Room at the Commonwealth Keystone Building, which is located at 400 North Street in Harrisburg, PA.
The option to participate virtually is also available. If attending virtually, please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The option to call in is also available by dialing: (631) 992-3221; Access code: 422-861-033#.
Remote captioning and streaming services will be provided. If you require these services, please visit this remote captioning and streaming services link.
ODP Shares Multi-Year Program Growth Strategy for FY 2024/25 Q3 Report
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared its Fiscal Year (FY) 2024/25 Q3 Report. This is a temporary report format while ODP builds a dashboard for waiting list and program growth data to make this data more accessible for stakeholders. ODP anticipates this will be ready by August.
The report shows ODP has made great progress on tackling the adult emergency waiting list over the past year, noting a 24% reduction since the Governor’s announcement in 2024.
For Questions or Additional Information
Please contact Tim Sohosky for any follow-up or inquiries related to this update.
June ISAC Provider Performance Review Subcommittee Data Available
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