Registration for the National Council Hill Day at Home is Now Open!
Work To Address Health Equity Across PA Continues As Wolf Admin Announces Interactive Map Analysis Tool
OMHSAS Pa. Telehealth Bulletin Approved
RCPA Telehealth Position Statement
After 18 months of telehealth service implementation, the Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association (RCPA) has conducted provider telehealth satisfaction surveys, created a provider telehealth task force, and developed policy positions regarding the future of telehealth services. As the Wolf Administration, the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and the Department of Human Services seek to make telehealth services permanent, RCPA sets forth our telehealth service recommendations for implementation across the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. RCPA has compiled the provider comments from these efforts and we believe the following recommendations represent a viable and successful pathway for practitioners and those in need of services.
We offer these recommendations to the provider community to share with stakeholders and legislators as we move forward with the expansion of telehealth services.
RCPA Strongly Recommends and Endorses the Following Telehealth Standards:
- The delivery of virtual services through telephone use only, absent video, should be permitted when the individual served lacks video capability or during an urgent medical situation.
- Payment for services delivered through telehealth should be paid at the same rate as a comparable, in-person encounter.
- Use of telehealth should be expanded to cover services provided by non-clinician mental health practitioners, including unlicensed master’s level therapists, mental health targeted case managers, and mental health certified peer support specialists.
- Use of telehealth should be expanded to include services provided in non-clinical settings.
- Documented verbal consent in the medical record should be acceptable for consent for treatment, verification and acknowledgement of treatment/service plans, release of information, and privacy (HIPAA) notices, in the event that a signature cannot be obtained from the individual served or their legal guardian.
- Given that telehealth use is deemed clinically appropriate, the preferences of the individual served and their caregivers should be given the highest priority when making determinations regarding service delivery method.
- Telehealth service delivery should be expanded to include drug and alcohol providers licensed by the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs, including but not limited to counselors, certified recovery specialists, case managers, physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and nurses for services reimbursed through the MA program.
- Translation services, including sign language interpretation, should be available for all telehealth encounters to ensure equitable access for all individuals.
- Dedicated funding for the expansion of broadband accessibility should be allocated to ensure access to critical services for all Pennsylvanians.
Contact RCPA Children’s Division Director Jim Sharp or your RCPA policy director with questions.
FDA Warns Health Care Workers to Stop Using N95 Masks Made by One Chinese Manufacturer
Agenda — September 1, 2021 MLTSS Subcommittee Meeting
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has released the agenda for the upcoming Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Subcommittee meeting. The meeting is scheduled for September 1, 2021 from 10:00 am–1:00 pm and will be held via webinar and remote streaming.
The call information, including links to the webinar and remote streaming, are provided below:
Conference line- Bridge Number: 415-655-0060 PIN: 512-693-809
Webinar link
Remote streaming link
Comments and questions should be sent here.
New EEO-1 Filing Deadline — Reports Due October 25, 2021
Message From: U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC):
NEW AND FINAL DEADLINE FOR 2019 AND 2020 EEO-1 COMPONENT 1 DATA COLLECTION REPORTS DUE BY MONDAY, OCTOBER 25, 2021.
Recognizing the continuing impact of the pandemic on business operations, the deadline to submit and certify your 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 Reports has been changed. The new filing deadline is now Monday, October 25, 2021.
Please note that this new deadline is the final deadline and all eligible filers must submit data by this date. No additional changes to the filing deadline will be made.
There are two options for submitting 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 report(s):
- ONLINE FORM: Filers may enter their data into a secure data entry form via the EEO-1 Component 1 Online Filing System.
- DATA FILE UPLOAD: Filers may upload data files through the EEO-1 Component 1 Online Filing System. The format of the uploaded data file(s) must follow the file layout(s) set forth in the EEOC-approved specifications.
The EEO-1 Component 1 report is a mandatory annual data collection that requires all private sector employers with 100 or more employees, as well as federal contractors with 50 or more employees meeting certain criteria, to submit demographic workforce data, including data by race/ethnicity, sex, and job categories. The filing by eligible employers of the EEO-1 Component 1 Report is required under section 709(c) of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, as amended, 42 U.S.C. § 2000e-8(c), and 29 CFR 1602.7-.14 and 41 CFR 60-1.7(a). Employers can find additional eligibility information here.
For assistance filing your company’s EEO-1 Component 1 report(s), please visit the EEO-1 Component 1 website for more information and additional filing resources. Filers can find helpful resources, including an instruction booklet, user guides, fact sheets, and FAQs at the filer Support Center and How to Submit. The EEO-1 Component 1 Filer Support Team is also available to respond to filer inquiries and to provide additional filling assistance.
IMPORTANT FILING INFORMATION
- The NEW deadline to submit and certify the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 Report(s) is Monday, October 25, 2021. All reports are required to be submitted and certified by that date.
- This data collection includes both the 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 Report(s).
- For the 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection, the data reported must be from a workforce snapshot pay period during the fourth quarter (October, November, or December) of calendar year 2019.
- For the 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 data collection, the data reported must be from a workforce snapshot pay period during the fourth quarter (October, November, or December) of calendar year 2020. NOTE: It does not need to be the same workforce snapshot pay period selected for your company’s 2019 EEO-1 Component 1 report.
For more information on how to file your 2019 and 2020 EEO-1 Component 1 report(s), please visit the Filer Support Center. For additional assistance, contact the Filer Support Team or toll free at 855-EEOC-035 (855-336-2035).
NatCon22 – Call for Presentations is Now Open!
Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Gets Full Approval From the FDA
CCBH Continues Provider APAs Through 12-31-21
The following is a notice provided by Community Care Behavioral Health (CCBH) regarding the future status of provider Alternative Pay Agreements/Arrangements (APA):
“Community Care, in collaboration with our Primary Contractors/county partners, has been closely monitoring service delivery volumes in order to assess the level of need to continue with the current Ambulatory Alternative Payment Arrangement (APA). In order to continue to support providers to ensure member access to essential behavioral health services, we collectively have determined the need to continue the current terms of the Ambulatory APA and are committed to doing so through December 31, 2021. Community Care and our Primary Contractors will continue to work with our contracted providers to prepare for the future and the eventual discontinuation of our APAs.
Please review your previous contract amendment. In lieu of an extension for additional one (1) month periods, this email serves as formal notification to extend the APA through December 31, 2021. The criterion for eligibility and the methodology for APA calculations will remain unchanged from the contract language. Please add this document to your previous contract exhibit listed below.
| APA | Exhibit |
| Ambulatory Services Advance Payment Arrangement | Exhibit P |
As noted in the contract amendment, Community Care will perform a reconciliation process for the payments providers receive under this agreement. The reconciliation process for 2021 will begin 90 days after the APA ends.
Providers have the option to opt-out of the APA payments by submitting notice to the following email address. Please use the subject line Opt Out – your organization’s name.
Continue to check our website (COVID-19 Information: HealthChoices Providers – Community Care (ccbh.com)) for other important COVID updates. If you have any questions, please contact your Community Care Provider Relations representative. A list of Provider Relations representatives and contact information may be found at Provider Representatives: HealthChoices Providers – Community Care (ccbh.com).”
RCPA is grateful for these efforts by CCBH for their continued support of providers during this time. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.
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