State of Black and Brown Mental Health — Webinar on October 25
Silent Auction — Request for Support
IRF-PAI 4.0 Q&A Document Issued by CMS
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a quarterly (consolidated from June 2020 to September 2022) inpatient rehabilitation facility patient assessment instrument (IRF-PAI) Question and Answer (Q&A) document in light of the release of the IRF-PAI 4.0. This document focuses on questions submitted to the IRF Quality Reporting Program (QRP) Help Desk related to the IRF-PAI version 4.0 and consolidates guidance from prior releases.
Online Registration Ends Sept. 30 for the 2022 RCPA Conference: Together!
The seats are quickly filling as we get closer to the 2022 RCPA Conference Together! Be sure to register now to see our exciting workshops in person and earn continuing education credits. The final online registration deadline is Friday, September 30. Take a look at our full brochure to view the schedule and find valuable information on our upcoming workshops, which include:
- Competing for Quality: Strategies for Becoming a Top Talent Manager
- Presented by Ed Krow of Ed Krow, LLC
- Creating the Playbook on the Fly: Lessons Learned From the COVID-19 Pandemic That Will Endure as We Navigate to the “New” Normal
- Presented by Woody Rosenbach, Trapeta Mayson, Tyrone Howell, and LaMar Brooks of COMHAR
- Reducing Obstacles to Care: Low-Barrier Access to Buprenorphine and Other Life-Saving Treatments
- Presented by Mark G. Fuller and Stuart Fisk of Allegheny Health Network
- Reviewing Data Together: The Impact of the COVID Crises on Children’s Services Outcomes
- Presented by Dan Warner of Community Data Roundtable
- Healing-Centered Supervision: Lessons From Peer Support
- Presented by Emily Ferris and Dana Lombardi of Magellan Behavioral Health of Pennsylvania
- One Hospital Diversion VBP Project: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
- Presented by Lisa M. May and Mandy Fauble of UPMC Western Behavioral Health at Safe Harbor
- Technologies Needed to Be Successful in Healthcare Reform for Mental Health, Substance Use, Developmental Disabilities, and Human Service Organizations
- Presented by Michael Lardieri of Core Solutions
- Supporting Children With Medically Complex Conditions — Overview of Medical Support Needs
- Presented by Gregory Cherpes and Rhonda Gengler of the Office of Developmental Programs
Note that sessions will be recorded to allow registered participants to view content after the event concludes.
In addition to an amazing roster of speakers, our 2022 Conference will have an exciting array of sponsors and exhibitors. We thank those who have committed to our conference thus far! If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, visit here for more details. For sponsors and exhibitors to be included in signage, RCPA will require contracts no later than Thursday, September 15.
We’d like to give a special shoutout to our Connections Hall sponsor Beacon Health Options as well as our Welcome Reception sponsor UPMC Community Care Behavioral Health Organization. Thank you for your support!
Questions about the conference may be directed to Carol Ferenz or Sarah Eyster, Conference Coordinators.
Early Bird Registration for the 2022 RCPA Conference Ends Today!
Early bird registration for the 2022 RCPA Conference Together! ends today! Be sure to register now to see our exciting workshops in person and earn continuing education credits. You won’t want to miss taking advantage of this opportunity!
Gathering in person at the Hershey Lodge October 11 – 14, 2022, attendees will see and learn from presenters from health and human services organizations all across Pennsylvania. Our full brochure is available, and some of our upcoming workshops include:
- Employment Strategies for Those With Prader Willi Syndrome
- Presented by Lisa Svidron of Mainstay Life Services
- TCV Community Services and Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health — A Case Study in Effective Affiliation
- Presented by Carl E. Clark II, Fran Sheedy Bost, and Robert Dunne of Devereux Advanced Behavioral Health
- Implementing Trauma-Informed Care in Children’s Mental Health Residential Treatment in Pennsylvania
- Presented by Gordon R. Hodas and Caren L. Rosser-Morris of OMHSAS
- Preparing for a Value-Based Payment (VBP) Future in Substance Use Treatment in PA: Using the Centers of Excellence (COE) as an Example
- Presented by David Loveland of Community Care Behavioral Health
- Managing Unique Challenges for Clients in the Workplace
- Presented by Thomas Tirney of Arlington Heritage Group
- Do Private Equity-Funded Start-ups and Services Have an Advantage Over Legacy Nonprofit Provider Organizations?
- Presented by Stacy DiStefano of Consulting for Human Services
- Ethical Considerations of Guardianship
- Presented by Lesley Mehalick of McAndrews, Mehalick, Connolly, Hulse and Ryan, PC
Note that sessions will be recorded to allow registered participants to view content after the event concludes.
In addition to an amazing roster of speakers, our 2022 Conference will have an exciting array of sponsors and exhibitors. We thank those who have committed to our conference thus far! If you are interested in sponsoring or exhibiting, visit here for more details.
We’d like to give a special shoutout to our Connections Hall sponsor Beacon Health Options as well as our Welcome Reception sponsor UPMC Community Care Behavioral Health Organization. Thank you for your support!
Questions about the conference may be directed to Carol Ferenz or Sarah Eyster, Conference Coordinators.
CMS Releases RFI Seeking Public Input on Accessing Healthcare & Related Challenges
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has released a Request for Information (RFI) that seeks public input on accessing healthcare and related challenges, understanding provider experiences, advancing health equity, and assessing the impact of waivers and flexibilities provided in response to the COVID-19 Public Health Emergency (PHE).
The Make Your Voice Heard: Promoting Efficiency and Equity Within CMS Programs RFI furthers CMS’ commitment to engaging and learning from partners, communities, and individuals across the health system to inform how we can better support the populations we serve. In alignment with Executive Order 13985, Advancing Racial Equity and Support for Underserved Communities Through the Federal Government, the CMS Strategic Plan Pillar: Health Equity, and the CMS Framework for Health Equity (2022–2032), this RFI aims to gather feedback and perspectives related to challenges and opportunities for CMS to embed health equity into their efforts encouraging innovation, reducing burden, and creating efficiencies across the healthcare system.
CMS is seeking to better understand individual and community-level burdens, health-related social needs, and opportunities for improvement that can reduce disparities and promote efficiency and innovation across programs. CMS is requesting information related to strategies that successfully address drivers of health inequities, including opportunities to address social determinants of health and challenges underserved communities face in accessing comprehensive, quality care. For example, challenges accessing care may include understanding coverage options, receiving culturally and linguistically appropriate care, accessing oral health services, and accessing comprehensive and timely healthcare services and medication.
Through this RFI, CMS also seeks to better understand the factors impacting provider wellness and learn more about the distribution of the healthcare workforce. CMS is particularly interested in understanding the greatest challenges for healthcare workers in meeting the needs of individuals, and the impact of CMS policies, documentation, and reporting requirements, operations, and communications on provider experiences.
Comments received in response to the Make Your Voice Heard RFI will be used to identify opportunities for improvement and to increase efficiencies across CMS programs. In addition, CMS hopes to learn how specific programs have benefited providers, practices, and the people served.
CMS encourages comments from all interested stakeholders, in particular, patients and their families, providers, clinicians, consumer advocates, and healthcare professional associations. CMS also encourages comments from individuals serving and located in underserved communities and from all CMS stakeholders serving populations facing disparities in health and healthcare. The RFI is open for a 60-day public comment period.
Comments must be received by November 4, 2022, to be considered.
Approaches to Reducing Your Healthcare Spend — RCPA Webinar on September 22
IPRC Webinar: Trauma-Informed Care for Trans and Gender Diverse Youth
Thursday, October 27, 2022
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm EDT, 11:00 am – 12:00 pm CDT
10:00 am – 11:00 am MDT, 9:00 am – 10:00 am PD
Tabi Evans, PsyD
Speaker Bio:
Tabi Evans, PsyD, (they/them) is a Pediatric Psychology Fellow working in Critical Care at Nationwide Children’s Hospital, where they provide consultation to patients in a critical care/medical trauma setting and outpatient therapy to children, teens, and their families. Additionally, Tabi is an educator for other medical and psychology providers, with a focus on providing trauma-informed care when working with transgender and non-binary youth and their families.
Objectives:
During this session, the learner will:
- Gain a basic understanding of trauma, trauma-informed care, and unique trauma risk factors for trans and gender diverse youth;
- Provide examples of trauma-informed care for diverse patients;
- Learn clinical practice skills (affirming language, balancing family/patient dynamics, providing appropriate referrals, etc.) to improve care for gender diverse youth; and
- Practice identifying potentially traumatic stimuli for gender-diverse patients within a medical/therapeutic setting.
Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, licensed psychologists, mental health professionals, and other interested professionals.
Level: Intermediate
Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.
Registration: Registration is complimentary for members of IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today. Multiple registrations per organization are permitted.
CMS Announces New Proposed Rule to Streamline Medicaid Eligibility and Enrollment
Disability Champion Susan Tachau Retires From RCPA Member PATF
Disability Champion and PATF CEO Susan Tachau Retires
Lifelong disability advocate and CEO of Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF), Susan Tachau, is retiring on September 30, 2022.
In her new role as PATF’s Chief Innovations Officer, she will work on special projects and advocacy activities.
During Tachau’s tenure as CEO, the organization has established itself as the leading Alternative Financing Program (AFP) in the US, continually providing more loans and extending more capital each year for the purchase of assistive technology than any other AFP, and offering information and assistance to thousands more Pennsylvanians, helping them access alternative funding resources.
With Tachau’s steadfast advocacy, PATF has also had significant impact among Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFIs), helping to secure more federal funding for CDFIs to serve the disability community, and educating CDFIs on best practices.
In 2021, Tachau was an AARP Purpose Prize Winner, an award that recognizes people 50-plus who are using their knowledge and life experience to solve tough social problems.
In the same year, Opportunity Finance Network (OFN) recognized Tachau’s CDFI work with the Ned Gramlich Lifetime Achievement Award for Responsible Finance, the highest individual honor in the CDFI industry.
Last year, the Institute on Financial Literacy presented PATF with the Non-Profit Organization of the Year 2021 Excellence in Financial Literacy Education (EIFLE) Award, for PATF’s one-of-a-kind financial education curriculum, Cents and Sensibility, tailored to the needs of people with disabilities.
In a push to serve more people, Tachau founded Appalachian Assistive Technology Loan Fund, a subsidiary to PATF, so that people with disabilities in nearby states will have access to affordable financing for assistive technology.
Building up PATF and advocating for people with disabilities has been Tachau’s life’s work. Tachau described the source of this wellspring of passion for this work.
“Our son, Michael, introduced me to the world of disability and the importance of community living, work, and connection to family and friends. Assistive technology can make this possible,” shares Tachau. “I’ve been incredibly fortunate to have worked alongside my dedicated colleagues to grow PATF from a small, fledgling organization to one that has helped more than 4,500 Pennsylvanians with loans worth almost $46 million.”
“I’m proud of our commitment to excellence and compassion, and the desire to expand our programs to meet the growing demands of the future. I’m confident that PATF’s good work will continue long after I retire.”
President of PATF’s Board of Directors, Nancy Murray, reflects on Susan’s announcement, “The Board is proud of Susan’s commitment, dedication, and achievements as PATF’s CEO for almost two decades. Susan has grown the organization into a formidable force for good in the world.”
PATF Board of Directors Appoint Ben Laudermilch as Chief Executive Officer
Seasoned executive Ben Laudermilch is PATF’s new CEO, as of September 6, 2022.
Most recently, Laudermilch served as the Vice President and Executive Director of Inglis Housing Corporation, where he established independent living communities for people with disabilities.
Prior to his tenure at Inglis, Laudermilch was the Special Assistant to the Secretary for the PA Department of Corrections, developing housing opportunities for reentering Pennsylvanians. Laudermilch also served as the Special Advisor to the Secretary of the PA Department of Human Services. For a decade prior, he worked for the Cumberland County Housing and Redevelopment Authorities in various roles, including Executive Director.
Laudermilch’s experience promoting the benefits of assistive technology is highlighted through projects that he has managed that integrated smart home technology (a form of assistive technology) into housing for people with disabilities and older adults.
“I am excited about this new chapter in my career and the life of PATF. For many years, I’ve been in roles that have intersected with the disability world, and this new position feels like a culmination of all the work I have done,” Laudermilch says.
“We are thrilled that Ben is joining the organization as CEO, bringing new skills and experiences that will take PATF into the future, into a new chapter,” says Nancy Murray, President of PATF Board of Directors.
In his role as CEO, Laudermilch will be growing PATF’s mission across Pennsylvania, working with public and private stakeholders and partners.
To assist with this transition, PATF has developed a new Strategic Plan and a comprehensive, state-of-the-art brand book – both of which will help guide the nonprofit for years to come.
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