The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) will conduct their next hospital open door forum on January 23, 2024, from 2:00 pm – 3:00 pm. The agenda for the Zoom call has not been released yet; however, registration to participate is available here.
The PA Department of Labor & Industry’s Office of Vocational Rehabilitation (OVR) has developed a draft of the Audiological Services policy. The draft will be posted on OVR’s website for public review beginning January 15, 2024. Virtual meetings will also be held via Zoom at 10:00 am and 3:00 pm on Wednesday, February 7, 2024, to provide an overview of the policy and take questions and comments. Please note that content will be the same in both meetings.
The public is invited to comment on the draft policy for 30 days. Comments may be sent electronically through February 16, 2024.
Meeting information:
Wednesday, February 7, 2024
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
CART and sign language interpreters will be available for these meetings via the Zoom link. Additional auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. Please send your request via email.
Identity Theft and Scams: What Everyone Should Know
January 29, 2024
02:00 pm EST
Register Here
This is the first in a series of PATF “Money Talks” webinars for 2024. This webinar will educate consumers on some “Do’s & Don’ts” of ID theft and scams. Each year, more than 10 million Americans have their personal information — including name, social security number, bank account, or credit card number — stolen. This presentation is designed to raise awareness of identity theft tactics, steps to take to protect your identity and personal information, and information on reporting identity theft.
Disclaimer: The information provided in this webinar is for educational purposes only. The Office of the Attorney General is not affiliated with Pennsylvania Assistive Technology Foundation (PATF).
Thursday, January 18, 2024
10:30 am – 11:30 am EST; 9:30 am – 10:30 am CST;
8:30 am – 9:30 am MST; 7:30 am – 8:30 am PST
Register
Jo Barta, MD
Analise Ludwig, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA
Graham Scheck, PhD, CCC-SLP
Speaker/Panelist Bios:
Jo Barta, MD
Dr. Barta is a self-proclaimed “triple gopher,” having completed her undergrad, Medical School, and residency training all at the University of Minnesota. She went on to pursue a fellowship in Craniofacial & Pediatric Plastic Surgery at Seattle Children’s Hospital & University of Washington before being recruited back to the Twin Cities. She is currently the division leader for the Craniofacial & Pediatric Plastic Surgery team at Gillette Children’s Hospital, St. Paul, MN, and a surgeon for the cleft and craniofacial team at the University of MN.
Dr. Barta is board certified by the American Board of Plastic Surgery. She holds an academic position as an adjunct and associate professor for the University of Minnesota Medical School and is actively involved with many national and international societies for cleft and craniofacial care. She enjoys running, volunteering on surgical trips, traveling, and spending time with family.
Analise Ludwig, AuD, CCC-A, FAAA
Dr. Ludwig is an Audiologist with a Doctorate of Audiology from the University of Minnesota and a Certification of Clinical Competency in Audiology. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Audiology. She participates in the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, American Cleft Palate-Craniofacial Association, and the American Academy of Audiology, and she is a former president of the Minnesota Academy of Audiology. She has participated as a member of the Minnesota Department of Health’s Speech-Language and Audiology Advisory Council.
Dr. Ludwig’s goal is to provide comprehensive, flexible, and family-centered audiologic care. She works collaboratively with children, adults, and their caregivers to maximize hearing ability so patients can engage in and enjoy everyday life. In her free time, Dr. Ludwig enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and chihuahuas, playing the violin, cooking Italian food, and running.
Graham Schenck, PhD, CCC-SLP
Dr. Schenck is a Craniofacial Speech Scientist and Outpatient Lead SLP at Gillette Children’s in St. Paul, MN. He is also an adjunct professor in the Department of Communication Sciences and Disorders at the University of Wisconsin-River Falls. Graham has over eleven years of clinical and research experience in cleft palate and craniofacial differences. He specializes in the assessment and treatment of resonance disorders, speech sound disorders, and feeding/swallowing disorders across the lifespan. Graham’s current research lines include MRI and 3D imaging to evaluate the velopharyngeal complex and examining the efficacy of NMES dysphagia treatment in children with cerebral palsy.
Objectives: At the end of this session, the learner will:
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.
RCPA and the National Council for Mental Wellbeing have worked together to resolve the recent concern with Medicare enrollment rejections for Marriage and Family Therapists as well as Mental Health Counselors. There have been many cases where the applications were rejected because applications did not include documentation or verification of the required 3,000 hours of supervision or the 2 years’ experience. RCPA met with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) on several occasions, outlining that the applications that meet the Medicare enrollment criteria have met this standard as part of the PA State License.
Initially, CMS cited that it was a requirement to provide the documentation. After communicating with CMS leadership, however, CMS responded that RCPA was correct and clarified that if a provider is licensed and the hours are a requirement for the licensure, said provider does not require the verification.
If your agency has received a rejected application, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp, who will connect your agency to the proper department that will address the denial.
SUD Addiction Counselors Eligible for Medicare Enrollment
There have been several members who have attempted to enroll their SUD counselors who have met the enrollment qualification being told by CMS that the enrollment does not include these SUD professionals.
RCPA has confirmed with CMS leadership that if the provider is licensed as an addiction counselor or alcohol and drug counselor (ADC) by the state in which the services are performed, they can also enroll as an MHC as long as all other requirements are met.
MHCs are defined as individuals who:
RCPA is recommending that this language accompany any future enrollment applications to CMS for SUD Addictions Counselors enrollment documentation.
The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) invites OMHSAS stakeholders to participate in the DHS 2024–2029 Housing Strategy Feedback Forums. These virtual forums aim to gather valuable insights for the development of the updated five-year Housing Strategy. For detailed information about DHS’ housing work, please visit the housing web page. The Housing Strategy team will host these one-hour feedback forums; participants can register for their preferred session:
Additionally, stakeholders are encouraged to provide feedback through the DHS 2024–2029 Housing Strategy Survey. For any inquiries, please contact the DHS Housing Strategy resource account.
The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has announced that they will be hosting a second Transportation Summit webinar on Wednesday, February 7, from 1:00 pm to 3:00 pm. This is an open forum for anyone interested in discussing transportation in the Community HealthChoices (CHC) Program. There will be staff from various programs on the call, including the managed care organizations (MCOs) and transportation brokers, Medical Assistance Transportation Program (MATP), Pennsylvania Department of Transportation (PennDOT), etc. They will be on the call to listen to your feedback and answer questions as they are able.
During the webinar, there will be three ways for individuals to ask questions. You can either submit your questions (to be read during the meeting) to OLTL in advance by emailing Cortney Alvord; use the “raise hand” feature during the webinar and you will be unmuted so you can ask your question; or you can type your question into the “chat” box located on the right side of your screen.
Please register here. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. Questions about the webinar should be directed to Cortney Alvord.
The Department of Health’s (DOH) Bureau of Family Health issued a flyer about planned events across the state related to Pennsylvania’s Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant. This grant serves to improve the health and well-being of the nation’s mothers, infants, children, and youth, including children and youth with special health care needs and their families.
Parents and caregivers, families with special needs, birthing people and their partners, and youth are all welcome and invited to participate in these events. Maternal and child health care, and other professionals and organizations serving this population in Pennsylvania, are also welcome to share their thoughts! Attendees are invited to help identify the seven to ten priorities that will drive Pennsylvania’s Title V programs.
Please refer to the flyer for additional information, including the dates, times, and locations of the upcoming events.
After the long-awaited budget resolutions for the 23/24 year, the PA General Assembly, as outlined in the Fiscal Code Bill, has allocated funds for school-based mental health and safety programs grants. We have posted this information below. RCPA recommends our provider members who have interest in providing these services or expanding current service offerings in the school contact their respective school districts to assist the planning process and hopefully contracted process. The grant funding allocation will go directly to the districts who will submit applications to the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency (PCCD).
The School Safety and Security Committee (SSSC) of the PCCD announces the availability of federal COVID relief – ARPA – school mental health grants funding to support the behavioral health needs of students within this Commonwealth. This noncompetitive funding announcement is specifically for school districts, intermediate units, area career and technical schools, charter schools, regional charter schools, and cyber charter schools to support mental health initiatives. A total of $90 million is being announced to support this initiative. Allocation amounts per eligible school entity are included in Appendix A of the solicitation.
The following grant opportunities are now open in PCCD’s Egrants System:
| Funding Announcement Title: | 2023–24 School Mental Health Grants |
| Plan Year: | 2023 |
| Release Date: | 1/10/2024 |
| Due Date: | 2/29/2024 |
| Concept Papers Required: | No |
| Competitive/Noncompetitive: | Non-Competitive |
| Amount Announced: | $90,000,000 |
| Funding Announcement Title: | 2023–24 Competitive School Safety Grants |
| Plan Year: | 2023 |
| Release Date: | 1/10/2024 |
| Due Date: | 2/29/2024 |
| Concept Papers Required: | No |
| Competitive/Noncompetitive: | Competitive |
| Amount Announced: | $32,179,000 |
| Funding Announcement Title: | 2023–24 School District Meritorious |
| Plan Year: | 2023 |
| Release Date: | 1/10/2024 |
| Due Date: | 2/29/2024 |
| Concept Papers Required: | No |
| Competitive/Noncompetitive: | Non-Competitive |
| Amount Announced: | $18,655,000 |
You can view detailed documentation regarding these funding announcements by clicking on the funding announcement title on the screen.
If you have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Director Jim Sharp.
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