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Medical Rehab

RCPA will be hosting our 2025 Capitol Day on Wednesday, March 26. We will hold a press conference/rally from 10:00 am – 11:00 am in the Capitol’s Main Rotunda. Members are requested to schedule appointments with their State Senate and House legislators to discuss the state budget, legislation, and regulations that affect the day-today activities of our members. For your convenience and use in legislative meetings, RCPA has developed a brochure highlighting our legislative and regulatory priorities. More information will follow, but if you have questions or suggestions regarding our 2025 Capitol Day, please contact Jack Phillips, Director of Government Affairs.

The 2025 RCPA Annual Conference Striving to Thrive will be held September 9 – 12 at the Hershey Lodge for a statewide audience. The Conference Committee is seeking workshop proposals in every area for possible inclusion, particularly those that assist providers in developing and maintaining high-quality, stable, and effective treatments, services, and agencies in an industry where change is constant. The committee looks for presentations that:

  • Provide guidance on building a culture of a committed workforce, including recruitment and employee development as well as effective remote workforce strategies;
  • Inspire ideas for organizations to be leaders in their field;
  • Highlight new policy, research, and treatment initiatives, such as the use of artificial intelligence and use of technology in service provision;
  • Provide specific skills and information related to individual and organizational leadership development and enhancement;
  • Discuss advanced ethics practices and suicide prevention;
  • Address system changes that affect business practices, including integrated care strategies, value-based purchasing, performance-based contracting, acquisitions and mergers, and alternative payment models; and
  • Discuss organization strategies to adapt to performance-based contracting.

The committee welcomes any proposal that addresses these and other topics essential to rehabilitation, mental health, substance use disorder, children’s health, aging, physical disabilities, and intellectual/developmental disabilities & autism.

Members are encouraged to consider submitting, and we highly encourage you to forward this opportunity to those who are exceptionally good speakers and have state-of-the-art information to share.

The Call for Proposals (featuring a complete listing of focus tracks) and accompanying Guidelines for Developing Educational Objectives detail requirements for submissions. The deadline for submissions is Friday, March 14, 2025, at 5:00 pm. Proposals must be submitted electronically on the form provided; confirmation of receipt will be sent. Proposals submitted after the deadline may not be considered.

If the proposal is accepted, individuals must be prepared to present on any day of the conference. Workshops are 90 or 180 minutes in length. At the time of acceptance, presenters will be required to confirm the ability to submit workshop handouts electronically two weeks prior to the conference. Individuals unable to meet this expectation should not submit proposals for consideration.

Individuals are welcome to submit multiple proposals. Notification of inclusion for the conference will be made via email by Friday, May 9, 2025. Questions may be directed to Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator.

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) published and released a summary report from a recent inpatient rehabilitation facility (IRF) listening session that focused on revising the transmission schedule for the inpatient rehabilitation facility Patient Assessment Instrument (IRF-PAI).

The summary highlights the discussion about potential changes to the IRF-PAI transmission schedule for unplanned discharges as well as changes in payer source, providing the rationale for this discussion, and questions posed during the listening session. The listening session also discussed opportunities to improve the assessment and data collection for pediatric patients.

Thursday, January 16, 2025
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MST; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST

Register Here

Samantha Bohl, OD

Presenter Bio:
Dr. Bohl earned her Doctor of Optometry degree from the University of the Incarnate Word Rosenberg School of Optometry in San Antonio, Texas, and completed a residency in neuro-optometric rehabilitation through the State University of New York College of Optometry. Dr. Bohl joined the team at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospital in 2017, where she supports individuals with vision impairments in the rehabilitation setting.

Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:

  • Review the visual system and areas of the brain used for vision;
  • Identify common visual issues found in the pediatric population; and
  • Describe several treatments for pediatric vision deficits, including vision therapy.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.

Level: Beginner

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.

Happy New Year! Now that you have turned the page to your 2025 calendars, we want to be sure that you do not miss saving the dates for the RCPA Annual Conference in 2025. We will be holding the conference earlier than we traditionally have, so we want to be sure you know the date. We will be meeting again at the Hershey Lodge, September 9 – 12, 2025! But not to worry — we will be offering the same high level of quality you have come to expect from our selection of workshops, speakers, and activities! Stay tuned to our social media and Conference website for future developments.

Image by Gerd Altmann from Pixabay

RCPA is excited to host a Membership Benefits webinar on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, at 1:00 pm, as an opportunity for members to orient themselves with all that RCPA membership includes. This is not just for new and future members. For current members, there may be benefits associated with our membership that you may not be aware of, including targeted meetings and groups that occur throughout the year.

Registration is required; please register here to attend the webinar. Items we will review include the below and much more:

  • Virtually meet the dedicated RCPA Policy Staff and RCPA lobbyists;
  • Discuss the 2025 Legislative and Administrative priorities;
  • Preview RCPA divisional committee and subcommittee meetings and what they offer;
  • View the RCPA member-only website;
  • Review exclusive yearly educational and networking events; and
  • Understand the value of the National Association memberships included with RCPA membership.

Visit the RCPA member benefits web page for more information, or contact Tieanna Lloyd for benefit details.

The Pennsylvania Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) Pediatric Shift Care Team held a Stakeholder Update Call on December 16, 2024. The presentation provided an overview of the Pediatric Shift Care Initiative Updates, implementation of the Pediatric Complex Care Resource Centers, and online training curriculum as well as content development.

Please send any questions electronically to the Pediatric Shift Care Team.