Inside Aging December 2024 Newsletter Now Available
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Pediatric POTS and Related Disorders — IPRC Webinar on Feb. 7
Friday, February 7, 2025
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EST; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CST;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MST; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PST
Register Here
Christina Kokorelis, MD
Presenter Bio:
Christina Kokorelis, MD, is a rehabilitation physician specializing in pediatric and adult postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS), orthostatic intolerance, and musculoskeletal rehabilitation. She takes a comprehensive, team-based approach to patient care. Dr. Kokorelis also treats children with concussions and chronic pain disorders. An assistant professor in the Johns Hopkins Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, where she completed her residency, Dr. Kokorelis followed the residency with a pediatric rehabilitation fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Kennedy Krieger Institute. She currently works as an attending physician in the Johns Hopkins POTS clinic and is also the Medical Director of the Pediatric POTS clinic at the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore.
Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:
- Define POTS;
- Discuss how to diagnose POTS;
- Describe treatment approach to POTS; and
- Discuss long-term outcomes of POTS.
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.
A Conversation on How Technology Can Protect Older Adults Online
Reminder to IRFs: Reporting of Acute Respiratory Illnesses to NHSN Due January 1, 2025
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a Memorandum entitled, “Updates to the Condition of Participation (CoP) Requirements for Hospitals and Critical Access Hospitals (CAHs) to Report Acute Respiratory Illnesses,” back in October 2024. This memorandum provided updates and clarifications to the Respiratory Reporting Requirements included in the FY 2025 Inpatient Prospective Payment System (CMS-1808-F) Final Rule in the Federal Register (89 FR 68986).
The Memorandum provides guidance indicating that “Psychiatric Hospitals, Rehabilitation Hospitals, Psychiatric Hospital Distinct Part Units, and Rehabilitation Hospital Distinct Part Units will report once, annually, beginning in January, and only include the data for the previous week.”
The Memorandum also provides guidance on what the information collection will require:
- One-Day-a-Week Snapshot
- Staffed bed capacity and occupancy including adult and pediatric
- Hospitalizations prevalence by respiratory illness and bed type
- Weekly Total New Hospital Admissions
- Total new hospital admissions for adult and pediatric patients by age range, over a defined weekly period
Additional information regarding the Hospital Respiratory Reporting requirements are also available on the Hospital Respiratory Data web page of the Centers for Disease and Prevention (CDC) website. The CDC will also be making changes to the reporting protocol and training information based upon this modification in requirements.
Members are encouraged to closely review both the Memorandum from CMS and the information on the reporting requirements posted on the CDC website.
Meeting With BI Providers and BI Caucus Co-chairs Scheduled on Jan. 13
As discussed during the RCPA Brain Injury (BI) Committee meeting held on December 5, 2024, a meeting has been scheduled with Representative Tim Briggs and Representative Ann Flood on January 13, 2025, at 11:00 am. Briggs and Flood are two of the co-chairs of Pennsylvania’s Brain Injury Caucus. An invitation was also extended to Senator Tim Kearney, another co-chair of the BI Caucus.
The primary goal for this meeting is for the BI providers and members of the BI Caucus to work in conjunction with one another. Specifically:
- BI Caucus members will be able to hear the concerns from the BI Providers, including budget requests and access to care issues that are resulting from inadequate rates/rate increases;
- BI providers will provide input to BI Caucus leaders on a legislative plan for the upcoming budget, such as amendments to the Safety in Youth Sports Act;
- BI Caucus leaders will share input on how to work with legislators to achieve a common goal; and
- Will share feedback on other issues impacting BI providers.
Members must register by sending an email to Melissa Dehoff by January 6, 2025. Registrants will receive the call information a few days prior to the scheduled call.
ODP to Host Second Quarterly Residential Provider PBC Preparedness Forum
The Office of Development Programs (ODP) will be hosting the second quarterly residential provider forum to provide support provider Performance-Based Contracting (PBC) preparedness. During this session, ODP will provide a status update on PBC applications, review the PBC presented to the Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC) Provider Performance Review Subcommittee, review the emerging themes or trends with the application submissions, and offer the opportunity for providers to ask questions.
Audience: Residential Providers
Date: Monday, December 16, 2024
Time: 12:30 pm – 2:00 pm
Register Here
Philadelphia Inquirer: A New Overtime Rule Has Been Stayed By a Federal Court. What Should Employers Do? [Paywalled]
ADvancing States Shares Report on Trends in Equity for Older Adults Without Family Caregivers and Trends in Medicaid Waivers
Clinical Forum on Disorders of Consciousness in Pediatric Inpatient Rehab Planned for Dec. 10
As part of the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania’s (BIAPA) Clinical Forum Series, a pediatric-specific webinar will be offered on Tuesday, December 10, 2024, from 3:30 pm – 5:00 pm. The webinar, “Formalizing a Disorders of Consciousness Program for Pediatric Patients in Inpatient Rehabilitation at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia (CHOP),” will discuss efforts for increased standardization of care, continuity/continuum of care, individualized components of the Disorders of Consciousness program at CHOP, discharge planning, and follow-up care.
The presenters of this free webinar are from multiple rehabilitation disciplines of the Disorders of Consciousness (DoC) program at CHOP. The session is intended for a professional audience.
Register here. For additional information, members should refer to the webinar flyer.
2025 Meeting Dates Released for RCPA Brain Injury Committee & LTSS Subcommittee
The 2025 meeting dates are provided below for the RCPA Brain Injury (BI) Committee meetings, as well as the Department of Human Services (DHS) Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meetings.
RCPA’s Brain Injury Committee meetings are held both in person at RCPA and via webcast from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm.
The LTSS Subcommittee meetings will be held in the Forest Room in the Commonwealth Keystone Building, 400 North Street, Harrisburg, PA 17120, with the option to participate via webcast. The meetings are held from 10:00 am – 1:00 pm.
Members are encouraged to mark their calendars.
RCPA BI Committee Meetings
- Wednesday, February 19, 2025
- Wednesday, April 16, 2025
- Wednesday, June 11, 2025
- Wednesday, August 27, 2025
- Wednesday, October 15, 2025
- Thursday, December 11, 2025
LTSS Subcommittee Meetings
- Wednesday, January 8, 2025
- Wednesday, February 5, 2025 (virtual only)
- Wednesday, March 5, 2025 (virtual only)
- Wednesday, April 2, 2025
- Wednesday, May 7, 2025
- Wednesday, June 4, 2025
- Wednesday, July 2, 2025
- Wednesday, August 6, 2025
- Wednesday, September 3, 2025
- Wednesday, October 1, 2025
- Wednesday, November 12, 2025
- Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Questions about the meetings should be directed to Melissa Dehoff.
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