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Policy Areas

The Council on Brain Injury (CoBI) has announced their next lecture in their clinical forum series. This upcoming lecture, “Telehealth & Brain Injury Rehabilitation,” is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, 2021 from 3:30 pm–5:00 pm and will present a review of the literature and specific case examples regarding delivering services to individuals with brain injury via telehealth. The results of a nationwide telehealth survey, developed by staff from Centre for Neuro Skills (CNS) and the Brain Injury Association of America (BIAA), for post-acute brain injury rehabilitation providers will be presented.

A live question and answer session will follow the presentation. The lecture is free of charge; however, registration is required. Questions should be directed to MJ Schmidt.

ODP Announcement 21-038 is to inform stakeholders that incident management trainings are now available on the MyODP website. These trainings are offered to assist providers and stakeholders with meeting the Orientation and Annual Training requirements set forth in applicable regulations and in Incident Management Bulletin 00-21-02. Training can be accessed at the following link: IM Bulletin Training Series.

ODP presented live webinars titled “Incident Management Introduction” and “Incident Management Overview” (referenced as “Introduction” and “Overview” webinars) from March through April 2021. ODP thanks those of you who participated during the live webinars and for your understanding that technology can bring some unexpected difficulties. For those stakeholders who were not able to attend the webinars as scheduled or for those who want to review the information again, the webinar recordings, related resources, and content are now posted for stakeholder viewing at MyODP’s website. Certificates for the training will be available upon completion.

The “Introduction” and “Overview” webinars were created to give the viewer an understanding of Incident Management prior to continuing through the nine-part training series titled, “Incident Management Bulletin: Recognizing Incidents Webcast Series.” After the Introduction and Overview webinars have been watched, the following will happen:

  • The web link will be accessible to begin the first webcast as part of the training series.
  • After completion of each webcast, the next webcast web link will be accessible (the web browser might need to be refreshed for the link to appear).
  • After review of each of the nine webcasts, the viewer may take the post-test. The post-test contains 25 questions, with unlimited attempts to pass with an 80% or higher.

ODP has received multiple questions regarding training requirements. ODP strongly recommends using the webinars and nine-part training series to comply with the training requirements; however, as per 55 Pa. Code §6100.143 and other applicable chapter’s regulations (i.e. §§6400, 6500, 2380, and 2390), other trainings may be utilized to meet the requirements that are accurate based on any regulation, communication, or training produced by the Department.

ODP strongly encourages providers to supplement these trainings with agency specific practices and procedures to ensure effective recognition and reporting practices. For any questions related to this announcement, please email IMPolicy.

ODP Announcement 21-037 is to notify ODP Residential Service Providers that provider-level Independent Monitoring for Quality (IM4Q) reports and provider profiles will not be issued with 2019–2020 data.

Historically, following the completion of an IM4Q data cycle, provider agencies were able to request IM4Q reports based on their specific data. However, at least five individuals from that agency would have needed to participate in an IM4Q interview. Provider agencies used the data to improve practices and the overall quality of life for the individuals they served. Due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, ODP suspended completion of all face-to-face interviews by IM4Q local programs in March 2020. This resulted in a significant number of surveys not being completed.

While ample data was collected to create a statewide summary report for 2019–2020, the data was not sufficient to provide reliable provider-level reports. This has also prevented provider profiles based on 2019–2020 IM4Q data from being completed.

A reduced number of IM4Q interviews resumed virtually in 2020–2021. Following the closure of the IM4Q cycle, ODP will determine if enough data was collected to provide these reports and profiles. Additional information will be issued via future communications.

CONTACT: ODP IM4Q Regional Leads

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Novitas Solutions has released their draft agenda for the upcoming Medicare training for RCPA’s brain injury providers. The training has been scheduled for Tuesday, May 25, 2021 from 9:00 am–3:00 pm and will be conducted via Webex. A finalized agenda and Webex link will be sent to members who will be participating in the training within the next week.

Please send an email to Melissa Dehoff by Tuesday, May 4, 2021 (noting “Medicare Training” in the subject line) to register for this training. Each organization should send one email and include the list of names and contact information (name, title, email, and telephone number) for those individuals that will be participating.

Meeting Invitation: RCPA Announces Blitz Media DSP Recruiting and Ghosting & Retention and Culture Workshops

 Providers of service have long struggled with recruitment and retention of Direct Support Professionals. Craig and Scott de Fasselle are a father & son team with a personal connection to the Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) field who have hosted more than 50 workshops that produce results and delight attendees. They are webinar & conference speakers for ANCOR and provider associations in 15 different states, including having presented webinars and workshops for RCPA members in the past.

We are offering two workshops to provide you with tools to improve your success in finding and keeping the right DSPs for your agency. These workshops should be attended by HR directors, supervisors, and anyone involved in recruiting and hiring. Attendees will leave with simple tools they can use immediately. During these workshops, attendees will collaborate with their peers and leave feeling empowered. All participants in these workshops will leave with a workbook and clear next steps to take back to their organizations to implement what they have learned. Note that you do NOT need any new consultants or software.

Cost — RCPA Members: $99 per session. Non-members: $125 per session.

Recruiting and Ghosting: Thursday, May 20, 2021 9:00 am–12:30 pm

Recruiting and Ghosting: You will learn free approaches to writing a job post to attract more applicants and fix common problems in your online application that drive applicants away, as well as a fast approach to prevent people that no-call / no-show for interviews. You can register for this event here.

Retention and Culture: Tuesday, June 8, 2021 9:00 am–12:30 pm

Retention and Culture: You will learn how to overcome two big challenges that cause new DSP turnover and how to nurture your culture when you do not have enough time. Learn clear and fast steps to an improved onboarding / training experience so new employees are more likely to stay. You can register for this event here.

Space is limited, so do not delay in registering! For any questions, please contact Carol Ferenz, Director, IDD division.