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Mental Health

The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is in the process of reviewing state regulations for inpatient levels of care. The services included in the review are: private psychiatric hospitals, psychiatric units in hospitals, extended acute care (EACs), residential treatment facilities for adults (RTF-As), and residential treatment facilities for youth under 21 (PRTF).

There is interest in involving individuals and stakeholders in the process. A variety of surveys have been developed in order to get input from individuals who may not have the opportunity to participate on statewide work groups and planning meetings. The surveys below are for the following groups:

Thank you in advance for circulating the surveys to the groups listed above. If you have any questions or concerns related to the surveys, please contact Sherry Peters.

Lynn Kovich, Deputy Secretary at OMHSAS, held a budget briefing webinar for stakeholders. Topics included state mental health facilities, Community/Hospital Integration Projects Program (CHIPPs) / Southeast Integration Projects Program (SIPPs) summary, regulations overview, 1115 Waiver, Community HealthChoices (CHC), and more. Please see the PowerPoint presentation for details; thank you.

The Children’s Division is interested in increasing the level of participation with Attachment Based Family Therapy (ABFT) training. ABFT is an evidence-based therapy with demonstrated positive outcomes for adolescent suicide prevention.

Drexel University (Suzanne Levy and Guy Diamond) has agreed to offer the DAY ONE prerequisite training via webinar on Wednesday, March 14. Day One is a mandatory training day for those who plan to practice the ABFT principles. After completing the Day One webinar event, you will be prepared to participate in the trainings offered on March 20 and March 21 (Day 2 and Day 3).

We received feedback that travel and lodging costs associated with the original Day One in-person event was an issue; therefore, we are fortunate to offer this webinar option to members and non-members. Please consider taking advantage of the opportunity. Please contact Robena Spangler with any questions.

Registration information is as follows: 

Day One Webinar Important Information – Please Review Before March 14

  1. Schedule
  2. Slide handouts for Day 1 presentation
  3. Book Flyer
  4. Therapist Certification Process
  5. Instructions for CEUs
  6. Instructions for logging onto Zoom

Thank you for your interest!

The Bureau of Autism Services (BAS) has announced that registration is now open for upcoming free statewide professional training opportunities; Comprehensive FBA Training, provided by the BAS Clinical Team. This training is provided for professionals who are responsible for conducting behavioral assessment and planning for individuals across the lifespan, in any system.

This free training will review the foundations of behavioral support with a focus on the process of Functional Behavioral Assessment (FBA). Steps of the FBA process will be presented for the purpose of practical application. These steps include: data collection, data analysis, and data-based recommendations. Potential pitfalls and methods to control for these implications will also be shared.

For more information follow this link.

The Alliance of Community Service Providers has opened online registration for their 16th Annual Conference for Direct Support Professionals (DSP). The event will be held Friday, April 20, 2018, from 8:00 am to 4:00 pm at the Philadelphia Hilton on City Avenue. The conference is open to all direct support professional staff who provide services to individuals with intellectual disabilities, behavioral health needs, and/or substance use disorders.

Several workshops are scheduled throughout the day focusing on adult mental health, children and families, addictions, intellectual disabilities, advocacy, and professional development. For more information and to register, use this link.

Conference Information

  • Theme: Coming Together: Creating a Culture of CommUNITY
  • Date: Friday, April 6, 2018*, 8:30 am – 4:00 pm
  • Location: Ramada Inn, 1450 South Atherton Street, State College, PA, 16801
  • Click here for conference information

Price:

  • $79 for current PaPSC members
  • $99 for non-members

To Register:

*On Thursday, April 5, conference participants are invited to attend an informational and networking event from 6:30 pm – 8:30 pm in the Gallery Room of the Ramada Inn conference center. Learn more about PaPSC, receive information about the move of Certified Peer Specialist (CPS) credentialing to the Pennsylvania Certification Board (PCB), and meet other CPS’s from throughout the Commonwealth!

Mental Health Weekly (MHW) editor’s note: “As in past Special Preview Issues, we asked our readers to send us their thoughts on the challenges and opportunities awaiting the field in 2018. Here are their comments.”

RCPA President & CEO Richard Edley’s comments on value-based purchasing as related to behavioral health have been featured in the above referenced article in Mental Health Weekly, January 1, 2018 Issue (page 3).

“As we enter 2018, one of the most pressing issues for behavioral health providers is the movement, or rush, toward “value-based purchasing” (VBP). Indeed, this is the catchphrase of the year. But what is value-based purchasing when it comes to behavioral health?…” See full article here.

ABFT training is being offered on the following dates:

We have been consulting with the model developers at Drexel University and our partners at OMHSAS Children’s Bureau to update the plan for making this a successful training. We have negotiated reduced fees for the total training package in hopes of attracting more trainees.

The clinical strategies of ABFT can be utilized in various child serving programs to include schools, outpatient clinics, and residential treatment programs. It is designed to treat depression and prevent suicide among adolescents and young adults, ages 14–24.

Download the registration brochure here. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact Robena Spangler.

The Department of Human Services has been working in collaboration with Managed Care Organizations (MCOs), county oversight organizations, and RCPA regarding the concerns and challenges with implementing federal Ordering, Referring and Prescribing (ORP) requirements by the January 1, 2018 deadline. The Department of Human Services has informed RCPA of the following:

  • The ORP requirements for Fee-for-Service continue to apply; i.e., allORP practitioners must be enrolled in the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (MA) Program or the rendering provider will not be paid.
  • In the HealthChoices managed care delivery system, if a rendering network provider submits a claim to an MCO with the National Provider Identifier (NPI) information that results in edits identifying that the non-networkORP is not enrolled in MA, the claim can be paid. However, if the non-MA enrolled ORP has a high volume of claims, the MCO will work with the network provider and non-MA enrolled ORP to have them enroll in MA or work to transition the member to an enrolled MA provider.

Contact your contracting BH-MCO for additional information.