House Co-Sponsorship Memo to Advance Telehealth Bill to Address In-Office Time and 4 Walls Medicaid Standard
OMHSAS Schedules Next Stakeholder Webinar for August 1
The next Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) Stakeholder Webinar is scheduled on Thursday, August 1, 2024, from 3:00 pm – 4:00 pm. To participate, please register for the webinar using the provided registration link. After registering, a confirmation email will be sent to you with details on how to join the webinar.
If you have any other questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.
National Council and NASMHPD to Host “CCBHC’s Synergies With Crisis Systems” Webinar on July 12
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, in partnership with the National Association of State Mental Health Program Directors (NASMHPD), will host a webinar titled “CCBHC’s Synergies With Crisis Systems” on Friday, July 12, from 1:30 pm – 3:00 pm ET. This event, sponsored by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), marks the final session in a four-part Crisis Stabilization Learning Series. The webinar will feature discussions on how Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHC) can effectively respond to and manage crisis situations, leveraging their capabilities within community crisis systems. It will also cover the role of peer support and the expansion of crisis services through the CCBHC model. Key speakers include Joe Parks, MD, from the National Council, Carrie Slatton-Hodges from NASMHPD, and C.J. Davis, CEO of Brightli Inc. An upcoming publication from the National Council’s Medical Director Institute will be highlighted in the discussion as well.
To participate in the upcoming webinar, register here.
If you have any other questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.
Free RCPA Member Webinar on Clinical AI in MH Crisis to Be Held July 25
State Launches New Website for Enterprise Licensing System Project
Pennsylvania has launched a new website for the Enterprise Licensing System (ELS) project, designed to streamline and modernize the licensing, permitting, registration, certification, and incident management systems across four state agencies: the Department of Human Services, the Department of Health, the Department of Aging, and the Department of Drug & Alcohol Programs. The ELS will be implemented in stages over the next two years, with the aim of improving interagency collaboration and operational efficiency.
For more information and to stay updated on the ELS project, subscribe to the ELS ListServ. If you need additional information or have questions, you can reach out to OCYF through the Contact Us form.
If you have any other questions, please contact RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.
IPRC Webinar “The Role of the Pediatric Rehab Professional Along the Cancer Care Continuum” on August 6
Tuesday, August 6, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CDT;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MDT; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PDT
Register Here
Jennifer Bernstein, PT, DPT
Speaker Bio:
Jennifer Bernstein, PT, DPT, is a Board-Certified Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy. Dr. Bernstein has been a practicing physical therapist for over 10 years, all of which have been spent at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her areas of specialty practice within physical therapy include Oncology, Hematology, and Bone Marrow Transplant for pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients. Jennifer received her Board Certification in Oncology in 2020 and has been involved in extensive program development and leadership roles representing the hospital’s occupational and physical therapists. She serves as the Specialization Chair for the Oncology section of the APTA, which allows her to actively engage with other passionate members of the organization. She serves as a mentor in the APTA Oncology Mentorship Program and has greatly enjoyed sharing her knowledge about the world of oncology physical therapy. Most recently, Whole-Body Vibration in Oncology Rehabilitation: Perceived Benefits, Barriers and Clinical Willingness was published in the Rehabilitation Oncology Journal, serving as Jen’s second publication. She has enjoyed being featured on “The OncoPT Podcast” and serving as a guest contributor for a Medbridge Course About Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.
Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:
- Demonstrate knowledge of the evidence on exercise and patients with cancer;
- Identify precautions, indications, and contraindications to be considered when working with individuals under treatment for cancer;
- Acknowledge the diversity, complexity, and variability involved in a cancer diagnosis at various life stages; and
- Establish an understanding of the role of rehab professionals throughout the continuum of care for patients undergoing treatment for cancer in various practice settings.
Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.
Level: Beginner – Intermediate
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.
Reminder for Free Webinar for RCPA Members on July 9: Leading and Building Resilient Teams
National Council to Hold “Pride at the Intersections” Webinar on June 27
CMS Announces End of Change Healthcare Cyberattack Payment Program
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) recently announced that payments under the Accelerated and Advance Payment (AAP) Program for the Change Healthcare/Optum Payment Disruption (CHOPD) will end on July 12, 2024.
CMS has reported that CHOPD accelerated payments totaling more than $2.55 billion have been issued to over 4,200 Medicare Part A providers, and another 4,722 CHOPD advance payments, totaling more than $717.18 million, have been issued to Part B suppliers. CMS also states that providers of services and suppliers are now successfully billing Medicare, and to date, CMS has already recovered over 96% of the CHOPD payments. After July 12, providers that are having difficulty with billing or receiving payments should contact Change Healthcare and/or their Medicare Administrative Contractor (MAC) directly.
Additional information can be found on the Healthcare and Public Health Cybersecurity Performance Goals web page.
OMHSAS Releases “Advancing the Call For Change”
In May 2024, OMHSAS announced the next evolution of the Call for Change initiative: Advancing the Call for Change. Beginning in 2022, a diverse group of stakeholders with lived experience came together to form a steering committee that convened regularly over the course of a year and formulated goals and objectives they felt were important to continue system transformation. The efforts of this committee resulted in the Advancing the Call for Change document. Advancing the Call for Change was designed to assess how far the behavioral health system has come in 19 years, stimulate conversation, and drive action. As the system progresses, this document should act as a guide for all decision-makers in focusing on the critical principles of recovery and resilience, including ensuring that approaches are person-centered, strengths-based, trauma-informed, follow a DEI framework, integrate peer supports, and are outcomes-focused.
In July 2004, the OMHSAS Adult Advisory Committee called for a work group to guide recovery transformation efforts. In November 2004, the work group held its first meeting and a steering committee was formed to move forward with recommendations. In November 2005, A Call for Change was presented to the Adult Advisory Committee.
A Call for Change offers a basic framework for transformation, including indicators of a recovery-oriented system. In addition, it discusses some of the implications of these changes and recommends some approaches for using the indicators to initiate changes in local, county, and statewide systems. It is to be considered a “living, breathing” document and not a “set in stone” plan. As the first phase of an ongoing process, the purpose of the report is to stimulate discussion in all arenas and at all levels. Additional materials will need to be developed to help inform and guide the process as Pennsylvania shifts toward a more recovery-oriented service system.
We are grateful to the Department for their inclusion of RCPA on the Call for Change Work Group and look forward to the opportunities to implement the recommendations with our members. If you have any questions, please contact RCPA COO and Mental Health Director Jim Sharp.
