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Act 126 of 2020 amended the original 2012 Methadone Death and Incident Review (MDAIR) Act, which established the creation of a team to review methadone-related deaths or incidents, to go beyond methadone and include a review of death and incidents related to any Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved medication to treat opioid use disorder as a primary, secondary, or contributing factor to a death or incident.

As a result of the new law, the Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs selected a new MDAIR team to review medication-related deaths, communicate concerns, and develop best practices to prevent future medication-related deaths and incidents.

A list of the new team members can be found here.

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The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) is making more than $560 million in Provider Relief Fund (PRF) Phase 4 General Distribution payments to more than 4,100 providers across the country this week. Providers will receive an email notification by Thursday, February 24 if their application was among those processed in this latest batch. HRSA is working to review all remaining applications as quickly as possible.

With today’s announcement, a total of nearly $11.5 billion in PRF Phase 4 payments has now been distributed to more than 78,000 providers in all 50 states, Washington D.C., and five territories. This is in addition to HRSA’s distribution of American Rescue Plan (ARP) Rural payments, totaling nearly $7.5 billion in funding to more than 44,000 providers since November 2021.

Learn More

  • The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) published a press release on February 24 and an updated state-by-state table detailing all Phase 4 payments made to date.
  • As individual providers agree to the terms and conditions of Phase 4 payments, it will be reflected on the public dataset.

If you have any further questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.

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The Department of Human Services (DHS) is providing final notice of the Fee Schedule Rates and Department-Established Fees for services funded through the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) Waivers as well as the Community Intellectual Disability Base-Funded Program.

The Fee Schedule Rates are effective January 1, 2022, with the exception of the rates for Agency With Choice Financial Management Services (AWC FMS) and direct Community Participation Support services. The Fee Schedule Rates for AWC-FMS will be effective on March 1, 2022. The Fee Schedule Rates for direct Community Participation Support services will be effective six months after the expiration of the federal novel coronavirus (COVID-19) public health emergency, and the temporary increases to the Fee Schedule Rates that are currently in place will end. The Department-Established Fees are effective July 1, 2022.

The full announcement with the specific rates can be found here.

These rates will be in effect for the next three years. Providers have the right to appeal these rates to the Bureau of Hearings and Appeals. Any provider who wishes to appeal must do so within 30 days of the notice, and those who do not appeal within that period will lose the right to challenge rates before the Bureau.

RCPA is hosting a “How to File a Rate Appeal” webinar on March 7, 2022, from 1:00 pm–2:00 pm. Otherwise, you should consult an attorney with experience filing such appeals.

Contact Carol Ferenz with any questions.

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ODP Announcement 22-022 is to inform all provider agencies employing Direct Service Providers (DSPs) that the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) will be participating in the 2021 National Core Indicators® (NCI) Staff Stability Survey. ODP is requesting qualified providers participate in the 2021 Staff Stability Survey. This important survey includes questions relating to volume, stability, compensation, and benefits of DSPs serving adults 18 years of age and older.

The data gathered from this voluntary and anonymous survey will help ODP, along with other policy makers and advocates, to:

  • Inform policy and program development regarding DSP workforce (DSPW) improvement initiatives;
  • Monitor and evaluate the impact of workforce initiatives;
  • Compare state workforce outcomes with those of other states;
  • Provide context for consumer and family outcomes; and
  • Create systems that more effectively collect, analyze, and use DSP workforce data.

Within the next few weeks, providers will receive an email from HSRI inviting them to participate in this Staff Stability Survey. Those wishing to participate will be furnished with a unique login that will enable providers to directly enter survey responses into the HSRI database. Results of the survey will only be reported in the aggregate, and organizations will not be identified in any way. It is recommended that Human Resources or the Payroll Office complete surveys, and responses should reflect DSPs who were on agency payroll during any period between January 1 and December 31, 2021.

The deadline to complete data entry is June 30, 2022. A copy of the survey is included to allow for preparation of data prior to completing data entry. It is a proprietary tool of the National Core Indicators® and is to be used for reference only.

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The National Council for Mental Wellbeing, with support from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, conducted an environmental scan to determine how overdose prevention and response efforts are currently implemented in community corrections. This effort included a literature review, 19 key informant interviews, and a roundtable discussion with a diverse group of individuals with experience in community corrections, overdose prevention, or harm reduction.

Key findings, along with the full report, are available on the National Council’s website.

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The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) announced more than $15 million in grant funding for stabilization payments to substance use disorder (SUD) treatment providers to assist with pandemic-related expenses.

Through 108 grant agreements, 375 SUD treatment provider locations will receive funding. Grantees span across every Pennsylvania county, and all eligible applicants who applied were awarded funding. A list of grantees and awards are available on the DDAP website. However, funding amounts will not be finalized until all grant agreements are fully executed. This funding will aid in pandemic-related expenses, including but not limited to minimizing the spread of COVID-19 by ensuring the provision of testing and support of vaccines as appropriate and delivering quality, evidence-based treatment to individuals who are underinsured or uninsured.

The grants are part of $55 million in federal funding awarded to Pennsylvania through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant Program COVID-19 Supplemental Awards.

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With the staffing crisis showing no signs of easing, the need for help supporting the Intellectually and Developmentally Disabled community has never been more acute. SafeinHome has numerous tools to help enhance independence and self-direction while helping to ease staffing shortages. David Thom, Account Executive in the Philadelphia Region, has scheduled drop-in hours for the next few weeks to discuss how Remote Supports (RS) and Assistive Technology (AT) can help the people we all serve.

SafeinHome invites you to learn about their Remote Supports and Assistive Technology during office hours at the following times via Zoom or Teams. Whether you’d like to talk about a specific individual, or just discuss Remote Supports and Assistive Technology in general, please feel free to join the office hours or reach out any time via the contact information below:

Tara Harmening, Southwestern PA, 724-433-9401
Every Tuesday 10:00 am–11:00 am through 3-15-22
Visit here to join the meeting.

Season Jackson, Northeastern PA, 570-840-2240
Every Thursday 9:00 am–10 am through 3-24-22
Visit here to join the meeting.

Christina Romel, Western PA, 412-779-3100
Every Tuesday 11:00 am–12:00 pm
Visit here to join the Zoom meeting.

Kristie Ondisco, Central PA, 570-640-0663
Every two weeks on Wednesdays 1:00 pm–2:00 pm, starting 3-23-22 to 4-20-22.
Visit here to join the meeting.

David Thom, Southeastern PA, 510-333-4909

Visit SafeinHome’s website for more details.

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