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Policy Areas

ODP Announcement 22-122 is to remind providers that this is the time of year to being the Provider Qualification process. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) require a statewide process to ensure providers are qualified to render services to waiver-funded individuals. The Provider Qualification Process described outlines the steps the Assigned AE and provider must follow to meet these requirements and the steps Supports Coordinators (SCs) must take to transition individuals if needed. This communication does not describe the qualification process for SC organizations

The release of this communication obsoletes ODP Announcement 22-005 Provider Qualification Process. In addition, the qualification process for Providers enrolled in the Adult Autism Waiver can be found in ODP Announcement 20-110.

Providers that are shared across Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) and the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) must complete the Provider Qualification processes with both the AE for the ID/A waivers and the Bureau of Supports for Autism and Special Populations (BSASP) for the AAW.

Providers must submit the qualification documentation (Posted on MyODP — DP 1059 and the Provider Qualification Documentation Record with all required supporting documentation) by 03/31 of the year that their requalification is due.

Failure to meet this deadline will affect the assigned AE’s ability to requalify the provider by the due date of 04/30. The updated ODP Provider Qualification Documentation Record contains all instructions and qualification requirements.

For inquiries regarding this communication, contact the ODP Provider Qualification inbox.

Image by photosforyou from Pixabay

Thursday, February 2, 2023
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

Sarah Economides, PT, DPT, PCS
Kristin Luethke, CTRS

Speaker Bios:

Sarah Economides, PT, DPT, PCS
Sarah Economides is a physical therapist on the inpatient pediatric unit at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, joining the team 11 years ago. Sarah specializes in treating children with severe neurologic and pulmonary disabilities. Prior to joining the Madonna team, Sarah worked in multiple pediatric settings, including NICU, school-based, outpatient, and acute care. She is a Board Certified Specialist in Pediatric Physical Therapy and a Certified Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST), with additional training for transporting children with special needs. Sarah has extensive experience managing positioning needs for transportation with children and adolescents with physical disabilities. As a graduate of Creighton University’s Doctor of Physical Therapy and Pediatric Physical Therapy Residency programs, she also enjoys collaborating with local PT and PTA programs as a guest lecturer and lab assistant, as well as a mentor for Creighton University’s Pediatric Residency Program.

Kristin Luethke, CTRS
Kristin Luethke is a recreation therapist at Madonna Rehabilitation Hospitals, bringing over 25 years of clinical experience to her team. During her tenure, she has worked across various teams, and in 2001, she settled into her role within Madonna’s pediatric and traumatic brain injury program. As a certified child passenger safety technician, child passenger safety instructor, and a Transporting Children with Special Healthcare Needs instructor, Kristin collaborated with others across the state to create the Nebraska All Kids Ride Safe Program. She also consults with various teams at Madonna to provide safe transportation options for pediatric and adult patients. Kristin graduated from Northwest Missouri State University in 1997.

Objectives:
At the end of this session, the learner will:

  • Discuss the impact of crash mechanics relative to body position, size, and restraints;
  • Identify the importance of car seat evaluation and safety;
  • Advocate for optimal seating and positioning for all children during transportation; and
  • Problem-solve common positioning challenges during transportation for pediatric clients with special health needs.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all members of the rehabilitation team, including medical staff, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, speech language pathologists, licensed psychologists, mental health professionals, and other interested professionals.

Level: Intermediate

Certificate of Attendance: Certificates of attendance are available for all attendees. No CEs are provided for this course.

Registration: Registration is complimentary for members of IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today. Multiple registrations per organization are permitted.

REGISTER

ODP Announcement 22-121 reports that the recording of the presentation provided by the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) staff during the webinar on December 1, 2022, which was to provide an overview of the heightened scrutiny process and to listen to public comments, is now posted on MyODP.

Public comments are being accepted until 11:59 pm on December 19, 2022. Please review ODP Announcement 22-117: Open for Public Comment: Proposed Heightened Scrutiny Service Locations to be Submitted To CMS. This announcement gives a background description of Heightened Scrutiny, the documents available for public comment, and how to provide public comment

Questions about this communication should be directed via email.

The goal of this series is to provide information on how each diagnosis could impact communication and offer strategies to support effective communication. This series can be found on MyODP under Trainings > Special Populations > Infographics.

Diagnosis or conditions include:

Alzheimer’s Disease DeafBlindness Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
Angelman Syndrome Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder Reactive Attachment Disorder
Apraxia of Speech Down Syndrome Rett Syndrome
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Dyslexia Schizophrenia
Autism Spectrum Disorder Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Sensory Processing Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder Hearing Loss Stroke
Central Auditory Processing Disorder Huntington’s Disease Stuttering
Cerebral Palsy Idiosyncratic Speech Tourette Syndrome
CHARGE Syndrome Language Deprivation Traumatic Brain Injury
Communication Disorder Limited English Proficiency Usher Syndrome
Conduct Disorder Long COVID Visual Impairment
Cornelia de Lange Syndrome Multiple Sclerosis
Cortical Visual Impairment Parkinson’s Disease

Please contact the ODP Special Populations Unit via email with any questions.

The Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) is proposing to expand access to treatment for opioid use disorder (OUD) by making permanent medication flexibilities put in place during the COVID pandemic, including an increase in number of take-home doses of methadone and the use of telehealth in initiating buprenorphine at opioid treatment programs (OTPs).

In its Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to update 42 CFR Part 8, SAMHSA is proposing to improve access to OUD treatment through OTPs. The proposed changes reflect the widespread desire by many stakeholders for SAMHSA to provide greater autonomy to OTP practitioners, positively support recovery, and continue flexibilities that were extended at the start of the nation’s COVID-19 public health emergency. For example, in March and April 2020, SAMHSA published flexibilities for the provision of take-home doses of methadone and for the use of telehealth in initiating buprenorphine in OTPs. Patients deemed stable by physicians have been able to take home up to 28 days’ worth of methadone doses; other patients — again, so determined by their physicians — received up to a 14-day supply. A recent study showed that patients who received increased take-home doses after federal flexibilities were enacted during COVID-19 saw positive impacts on their recovery, including being more likely to remain in treatment and less likely to use illicit opioids.

Read the full announcement.

The PA Department of Health and Penn State University have created a survey to better understand PPE knowledge amongst healthcare workers in Pennsylvania, including dental providers and office teams. In addition to PPE knowledge, they would like to better understand healthcare worker feelings about vaccinations and mental health. All responses are anonymous.

This survey should take you no more than 10–20 minutes, and people who complete the entire survey will be able to register for two chances to win a $250 gift card. Participants can access the survey here.

If you have any questions regarding the survey, please reference the contact information within the flyer.