DDAP Reminds D&A Providers about Unusual Incident Reporting
Health Systems and Academic Medical Centers Selected for Regional Response Health Collaboration Program
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 14, 2020
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Human Services (DHS) today announced applicants selected to participate in the Regional Response Health Collaboration Program (RRHCP). The RRHCP will directly support COVID-19 continued readiness and response planning in long-term residential care facilities, improve quality of care related to infection prevention, expand COVID-19 testing to include asymptomatic staff and residents in facilities, and facilitate continuity of care and services provided by long-term care facilities in an attempt to mitigate the risk of spread of COVID-19 to staff or residents. This effort is a collaboration between DHS, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency.
“Long-term care providers provide a home and care for some of the most vulnerable Pennsylvanians, and COVID-19 remains a serious threat. The Wolf Administration will continue to do all we can to support our long-term care providers during this pandemic and beyond,” said DHS Secretary Teresa Miller. “The Regional Response Health Collaboration Program will build on accomplishments thus far and be a resource to long-term care facilities as COVID-19 evolves. Through these collaboratives, long-term care facilities will have a network to learn, respond, and prepare for what is ahead in the fight against COVID-19.”
More than 45,000 Pennsylvanians live in more than 1,200 personal care homes and assisted living residences, and more than 80,000 residents live in 693 skilled nursing facilities throughout the commonwealth. These residents are often some of the most vulnerable and susceptible to COVID-19 due to age, presence of existing health conditions that may lead to complications, and the congregate nature of these facilities.
The RRHCP will provide clinical, operational, and administrative support to protect residents in long-term care facilities from COVID-19. It will help those facilities implement best practices in infection control, implement contact tracing programs in facilities, support clinical care through on-site and telemedicine services, and provide remote monitoring and consultation with physicians. The RRHCP will assist in identifying alternate care arrangements for patients no longer requiring acute care but needing assistance in returning to their long-term care facilities.
Selected grantees will be awarded $175 million collectively through funding approved by the General Assembly. Funding for the RRHCP is divided regionally by the long-term care facility census in each region. Applicants selected and the regions they will serve include:
- Southeast Region ($65.8 million):
- Thomas Jefferson University
- University of Pennsylvania
- Northeast Region ($24 million):
- Geisinger Clinic
- Lehigh Valley Hospital, Inc
- Southcentral Region ($22.9 million):
- The Pennsylvania State University
- Northcentral Region ($9.8 million):
- Geisinger Clinic
- Southwest Region ($38.9 million):
- UPMC Community Provider Services
- Northwest Region ($13.6 million):
- LECOM Health
- UPMC Community Provider Services
The program will also support facilities as they enhance testing capability for both individuals in care and staff under the expanded statewide testing order released last month. The RRHCP partners will be a critical resource in implementing this testing order for facilities that do not have dedicated clinical staff.
The RRHCP is based on the Educational Support and Clinical Coaching Program (ESCCP), a learning network that provided technical assistance and educational support to long-term care facilities in light of the current pandemic. Unlike the ESCCP, which operated on a voluntary basis, the RRHCP will operate under grant agreements through December 1, 2020.
Visit the Pennsylvania Department of Health’s dedicated Coronavirus webpage for the most up-to-date information regarding COVID-19.
Guidance to DHS providers related to COVID-19 is available here.
MEDIA CONTACT: Erin James, [email protected]
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Provider Relief Fund Medicaid and CHIP Distribution Webcast Follow-Up
On June 24, the Health Resources and Services Administration hosted a webcast providing information regarding the CARES Act Provider Relief Fund Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) Distribution. Based on feedback from the webcast, the administration has enhanced and expanded the available resources to help you better understand and, if eligible, take advantage of the program. Recently the they released the following information:
Recorded Webcast
A recording of the June 25 webcast is now available at hhs.gov/providerrelief.
Fact Sheet
We created a Fact Sheet highlighting eligibility requirements, details on use of the payments, and instructions on how to apply and attest to the Terms and Conditions.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
In order to better address your most important concerns, we have updated our FAQs to address the questions you submitted for the webcast. The FAQs include expanded information on eligibility, application, payment process, and more.
Application Instructions
Medicaid and CHIP Provider Distribution Instructions and the Medicaid and CHIP Provider Distribution Application Form are available at hhs.gov/providerrelief. We recommend downloading and reviewing these documents to help you complete the process through the Enhanced Provider Relief Fund Payment Portal.
Additional Information
For additional information, please call the Provider Support Line at 866-569-3522; for TTY, dial 711. Hours of operation are 7 am to 10 pm Central Time, Monday through Friday. Service staff members are available to provide real-time technical assistance, as well as service and payment support.
Thank you for all you are doing to support and protect the American people during this difficult time.
Thomas J. Engels
Administrator
Health Resources and Services Administration
United States Department of Health and Human Services
RELIAS Offers Free Webinar on Self Care
Often discussed and infrequently practiced, self-care is critically important during the profound and protracted COVID-19 pandemic. In addition to the understandable and normal waves of anxiety, depression, and stress that many feel during this uncertain time, the COVID-19 pandemic renders us more vulnerable to burnout, compassion fatigue, or vicarious trauma.
Register now and listen as Carolyn Allard, PhD (Professor and Program Director of the Clinical Psychology PhD Program at the California School of Professional Psychology (CSPP) at Alliant International University and research psychologist at VA San Diego Healthcare System), and Diana M. Concannon, PsyD (Dean of the California School of Forensic Studies at Alliant International University) discuss the particular reasons why COVID-19 both challenges our resilience and offers an unprecedented opportunity to incorporate self-care into our lives.
Mobile Fingerprinting Unit Open July 21 in Chambersburg PA
If your staff are in need of fingerprinting; there are available fingerprinting appointments on July 21, 2020; however, pre enrollment is required.
Location: Chambersburg Holiday Inn Express, 1097 Wayne Avenue, Chambersburg, PA 17201
Times: 9 am–5 pm, by appointment only, so everyone must pre-enroll. If individuals come to the event and are not enrolled, they may be turned away. They also ask that in order to maintain the COVID-19 safety measures, please do not enter the building until a few minutes before your scheduled appointment time.
Enrollment: Make sure to have your appropriate service code from your human resources department. If you do not know what the appropriate service code is and you cannot contact your employer, you may contact this email.
To be able to enroll for this particular event, you must use the special enrollment code of: SP-DHSCHAMBER721
For directions on enrollment, please review the attachment.
Further Requirements:
- When the individual enrolls, they will be sent an enrollment confirmation via email. They MUST bring their enrollment confirmation information with them to their appointment. It can be on their phone, it does not have to be printed out, but they must have it!
- They must bring an appropriate form of identification. The most common forms of identification are: Drivers License (if it has expired during COVID-19 (after March 1, 2020), please make sure to bring your renewal form), current passport, Pennsylvania State Identification, or Green Card.
- Everyone must wear a mask to the event and keep it on at all times until the Enrollment Agent asks them to remove it so that they can be photographed as part of the fingerprinting protocol.
Payment: If your employer is paying for your fingerprinting, please make sure to obtain a payment voucher code, as you will need that during the enrollment process. If your employer has not provided you with a payment voucher, you will be required to pay for the fingerprinting at the time of the event. The current cost is $23.85 and the Enrollment Agent may only accept (1) credit card (2) debit card or (3) money order made out to “Idemia.”
See the Pre Enrollment Instructions for Mobile Fingerprinting. If you have questions, please contact RCPA Children’s Director Jim Sharp.
Gov. Wolf Announces $10 Million Available to Support Pennsylvania’s Food System
Gov. Wolf Announces Protections from Foreclosures and Evictions Through Aug. 31
Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired: People of Color, Disabilities, and Mental Health
Webinar 7/23: Sick and Tired of Being Sick and Tired: People of Color, Disabilities, and Mental Health
Register for the webinar on Thursday, July 23, at 2:00 PM ET.
The Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center (MHDD-NTC) presents a webinar exploring the unique intersection of disability, mental health, and people of color. People of color experience higher rates of disability and mental health conditions, but often face decreased access to care and have other co-occurring health disparities. This presentation will highlight these inequities and discuss how we can work towards eliminating these disparities and becoming stronger allies for people of color.
Presenter:
Morénike Giwa Onaiwu is an educator, writer, public speaker, parent, and global advocate. A proactive, resourceful professional and disabled woman of color in a multicultural, neurodiverse, serodifferent family, Morénike, who is American-born to immigrant parents, possesses undergraduate and graduate degrees in International Relations and Education. She has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the “Advocating for Another: Health Activist of the Year” 2014 WEGO Health Award and the “Service to the Self-Advocacy Movement” 2015 Autistic Self Advocacy Network Award.
ACL funds the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities National Training Center (MHDD-NTC). Learn more at mhddcenter.org.
DHS Announces Applicants Selected for HealthChoices Program Procurement
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2020
Harrisburg, PA – The Department of Human Services today announced applicants selected through a Request for Applications (RFA) for Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices program, the Medicaid physical health managed care program that provides healthcare coverage to more than 2.6 million people. DHS is unable to move forward with the selections, however, due to the pendency of protests.
“Pennsylvania’s HealthChoices program is a lifeline for more than 2.6 million Pennsylvanians covered under the Medical Assistance program. This program not only helps with essential health services like doctors’ visits, routine and preventive care, and access to prescriptions necessary to live a healthy life – it also is an opportunity to greatly impact participants’ social and economic trajectory,” said Human Services Secretary Teresa Miller. “As one of our farthest-reaching and highest-cost programs, we are committed to constant quality improvement that focuses on participants’ health and well-being, and innovative, outcomes-driven efficiencies.”
Applicants were selected through a competitive procurement that evaluated applicants’ soundness of approach, personnel qualifications and staffing and prior experience and performance. More information about evaluation criteria can be found in the RFA. Applicants selected were the top scoring applicants for their zone. Selected applicants for each service zone are as follows:
- Southeast: Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UnitedHealthCare, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (Keystone First);
- Lehigh/Capital: Gateway Health, Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas);
- Northeast: Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas);
- Northwest: Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas); and,
- Southwest: Gateway Health, Geisinger Health Plan, Health Partners Plans, UPMC for You, and Vista Health Plan (AmeriHealth Caritas).
At the time of this release, two non-selected applicants filed protests of their non-selection. Due to the filing of these protests, DHS may not take any further action on the procurement until the protests are resolved.
For more information on the HealthChoices procurement and requirements of the RFA, view the RFA here.
MEDIA CONTACT: Erin James, [email protected]
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DHS Seeks Vendors to Implement Resource and Referral Tool to Improve Health Outcomes
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 8, 2020
Harrisburg, PA – Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Teresa Miller today announced a Request for Expressions of Interest (RFEI) for the commonwealth to establish a resource and referral tool. The tool will serve as a care coordination system for providers such as health care and social services organizations and will include a closed-loop referral system that will report on the outcomes of the referrals. It will also serve as an access point to search and obtain meaningful information to help Pennsylvanians find and access the services they need to achieve overall well-being and improve health outcomes.
“No one person or provider can help a person fully address all of these goals on their own, and that is okay. We want to make sure that we are focused on how to promote a more holistic approach to health and well-being and that we are ensuring that individuals’ and families’ needs are met through the delivery of the right service at the right time,” said Sec. Miller. “With this resource and referral tool, we hope to establish a system where we can break down walls in the health care and social service system and improve health outcomes and quality of life for Pennsylvanians.”
The purpose of the RFEI is to determine what experienced firms are available to assist DHS and the commonwealth in executing the development and implementation of a statewide resource and referral tool within an aggressive timeframe. Interested parties should have relevant experience and proven success implementing projects of similar scope and working with a wide range of sectors including healthcare organizations, community-based organizations, and state and local government agencies.
The resource and referral tool, when implemented, will allow providers to assess an individual during a physician’s office or emergency department visit, or when receiving case management services, among others. The tool will also gather data that can help the Commonwealth and its partners better understand the needs of vulnerable Pennsylvanians and identify service gaps across the state. By looking at critical social determinants of health, including employment, childcare, transportation, food security, access to health care, and housing stability, the Commonwealth and all network organizations can help individuals achieve better long-term health outcomes and maximize the impact of health care dollars.
The COVID-19 pandemic has emphasized the urgent need for a customer-friendly system to assist the public in locating resources and to efficiently and effectively connect individuals with critical services such as food, housing, transportation and childcare, as well as many other needed critical services. This tool can provide an alternative to in-person interactions between social services organizations and clients in order to facilitate social distancing.
Individuals, service providers, government agencies, caregivers, educational institutions, faith-based groups, and advocates will be able to use this tool to help navigate the system of resources, and work together to reduce duplication of services as well as the time it takes for individuals to receive much-needed services. The tool will allow service providers to bridge the gaps that make service continuity and follow-up on referrals difficult.
“We all can help Pennsylvanians on a path to achieve better long-term health outcomes, meet their social determinant of health needs, and empower them towards economic self-sufficiency, and our hope is this tool will be a platform to make this possible,” said Sec. Miller. “Governor Wolf and this Administration is working to make sure individuals and families, particularly our most vulnerable, have a strong relationship with a person who can help them navigate across systems and organizations so they know that they are not alone on their path to a better life.”
For more information and to read the RFEI, visit eMarketplace.
MEDIA CONTACT: Erin James, [email protected]
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