The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared an update to bulletin ODPANN 24-025. ODP has received accreditation for designated MyODP trainings that meet requirements towards the National Association of Direct Support Professionals (NADSP) E-Badge Academy. Changes to the original announcement have been made in red. You can view the accredited training list here.
The office of Medical Assistance has issued an update on EVV compliance to advise providers of changes to the manual edit thresholds for Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) records in both personal care services (PCS) and home health care services (HHCS), effective with dates of service on and after January 1, 2025.
This bulletin applies to providers enrolled in the MA Program who render PCS and HHCS to beneficiaries or participants in the MA fee-for-service (FFS) delivery system, including through home and community-based services waivers and the managed care delivery system via Physical HealthChoices or Community HealthChoices. Beneficiaries may receive services in the following programs:
Read the full bulletin here. This bulletin will be a key topic at the RCPA PD&A meeting on September 11, for which you can register here.
If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar or Melissa Dehoff.
The PA Department of Labor & Industry’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) has developed a draft of the Financial Needs Test (FNT) policy. The draft will be posted on OVR’s website for public review beginning August 30, 2024. Virtual meetings will be held via Zoom at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm on Wednesday, September 11, 2024, to provide an overview of the policy and take questions and comments. Please note that the content will be the same in both meetings. The public is invited to comment on the draft policy for 30 days. Comments may be directed to OVR’s Public Comment Resource Account through September 20, 2024.
Meeting Information
CART and sign language interpreters will be available for these meetings via the Zoom link. Additional auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Please send your request to OVR’s Public Comment Resource Account.
Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) and Adult Community Autism Program (ACAP) providers are invited to sign up for a scheduled one-on-one virtual office hour (VOH) session to discuss IM topics with the Office of Developmental Programs’ Bureau of Services for Autism and Special Populations (ODP-BSASP).
Providers may sign up for one 30-minute session, and multiple staff from the provider may join at the provider’s discretion.
Topics for discussion may include provider-specific IM issues or concerns; Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) reports; general questions about certified investigations; brainstorming ideas of how to improve “performance” related IM tasks; reviewing of provider IM data and compliance; discussion of provider trends; etc.
We encourage AAW providers and ACAP to take advantage of this opportunity. Sessions are offered in 30-minutes intervals and are on a first-come, first-served basis.
Thursday, September 19, 2024
First scheduled session begins at 8:30 am
Register here
Please be sure to complete all required information to reserve a time slot. Please contact the Provider Support Inbox with questions.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) released the following Medical Assistance (MA) Bulletin on Friday, August 23, 2024:
In addition, an updated version of the ODP Electronic Visit Verification (EVV) Technical Guide can be found below. This updated guide includes essential information on the latest compliance requirements and procedures:
Agencies are encouraged to review these documents thoroughly to ensure compliance and that provider policy and procedures are aligned with the updated requirements.
Thank you for your continued commitment to providing high-quality services for individuals with Intellectual Disabilities and Autism (ID/A) and their families in Pennsylvania.
The President’s Committee for People with Intellectual Disabilities (PCPID) will be hosting its next meeting on Thursday, September 26, 2024, from 9:00 am – 4:00 p.m. ET, and Friday, September 27, 2024, from 9:00 am – 3:00 pm ET. Register for the meeting here.
The meeting is open to the public and will be hosted at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. The meeting will take place in the Switzer Building Conference Room 1400, located at 330 C Street, SW, Washington, DC 20201. Members of the public can observe the meeting in person or virtually. To observe the meeting in person, seating will be available for the first 25 individuals to reserve seats due to space limitations. In order to observe the proceedings in person or virtually, you must register in advance.
The Committee will discuss the 2024 PCPID Report focused on home and community-based services (HCBS) as it relates to direct support professionals, employment, community living, and federal support programs. The Committee will also discuss emerging issues facing people with intellectual disabilities.
Comments and suggestions, especially from people with intellectual disabilities, are welcomed. If there are comments that you would like to inform the PCPID, please share them using ACL’s comment form. Comments received by Friday, September 13, 2024, will be shared with the PCPID at the meeting.
The Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry’s Office for the Deaf and Hard of Hearing (ODHH) is excited to collaborate with Step Up Services to offer free, in-person training sessions for Support Service Providers (SSP). SSPs support individuals who are DeafBlind in leading a self-determined life. There will be two training sessions, one in the eastern region and one in the western region.
Eastern Region
October 5, 2024
Northampton Community College
Western Region
November 2, 2024
Mount Aloysius College
Please note: In addition to attending one of the two trainings, individuals will need to complete an online course to become an SSP. For more details about this requirement, please contact ODHH.
Sign up today! The deadline to register is September 6, 2024.
For questions, please contact ODHH via email.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared a reissue of ODPANN 24-081. The communication is being reissued to provide agencies with Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) specific data and instructions on how to access available data in the EIM Dashboard. Please view the communication for important information and details.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared this important announcement from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) about the recall of Defibtech, LLC, RMU-2000 ARM XR Chest Compression Devices due to a problem with the device’s motor that may cause it to stop compressions. The use of the affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including:
This recall involves removing certain devices from where they are used or sold. The FDA has identified this recall as the most serious type. This device may cause serious injury or death if you continue to use it without following the updated instructions.
Affected Product
What to Do
Do not use affected Defibtech RMU-2000 ARM XR Chest Compression Devices (identified by serial numbers). On July 12, 2024, Defibtech, LLC, sent all affected customers an Urgent Medical Device Safety Removal letter recommending the following actions:
Customers will be contacted by Defibtech to arrange for product return and devices will be refunded, repaired, or replaced at no cost.
Reason for Recall
Defibtech, LLC, is recalling RMU-2000 ARM XR Chest Compression Devices due to a problem with the device’s motor that may cause it to stop compressions.
The use of affected product may cause serious adverse health consequences, including patient injuries, delay of therapy and death due to a period of time without compressions to circulate oxygen throughout the body. There has been one reported injury and one report of death.
Device Use
The RMU-2000 ARM XR Chest Compression Device is used to provide chest compressions on adults whose hearts suddenly stop and are not circulating blood throughout the body.
Contact Information
Customers in the US with questions about this recall should contact Defibtech Customer Support at 877-453-4507, 7:30 am – 6:00 pm EST.
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