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Policy Areas

Thursday, February 8, 2024
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

Please join us as the IPRC hosts special guests from the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, Maryland. They will discuss practical strategies rehabilitation clinicians can employ to optimize care for Autistic individuals in medical settings.

Meghan Keenan, MOT, OTR/L
Meghan Keenan is a Senior Occupational Therapist and an Occupational Therapy Site Manager for the Greenspring Campus at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD. She graduated with a Masters of Occupational Therapy from Temple University in 2004 and is currently working on her post profession doctorate at the University of Montana. While she has worked in a variety of pediatric settings, for the past 14 years, she has specialized in providing care for Autistic children at Kennedy Krieger Institute through the Center for Autism and Related Disorders. Meghan is passionate about caregiver training for the families she works with and eliminating barriers to care, so patients and their families can successfully engage in meaningful occupations.

Jessica Pontius, MS, CCC-SLP
Jessica Pontius is a Speech-Language Pathologist who specializes in diagnostics and treatment of Autism, particularly in toddlerhood through adolescence. She graduated with her Master of Sciences in Speech-Language Pathology from Towson University in 2021. Jessica’s primary areas of interest are in early childhood diagnostics and adolescent executive functioning and literacy. She currently works in the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD.

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

  • Implement strategies to support communication needs of Autistic individuals;
  • Provide communicative support to Autistic patients to promote patient-centered care;
  • Implement interaction strategies when caring for Autistic individuals;
  • Implement environmental accommodations to support sensory and motor needs of Autistic individuals;
  • Provide support to family for self-care needs during a hospital or clinic stay; and
  • Identify the need for a safety plan.

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.

Register

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Office of Disability Integration and Coordination (ODIC) has released a new version of its training course titled “IS-368.A: Including People with Disabilities in Disaster Operations.”

The course is designed for all personnel involved in disaster operations. It provides an introductory overview of information and strategies on how to include people with disabilities during mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery efforts.

The course focuses on:

  • The difference between disabilities and access and functional needs;
  • FEMA’s actions supporting the integration of people with disabilities in disaster operations and ways to shorten the disaster cycle for them;
  • The differences between equity and equality;
  • Ways to ensure terminology is in alignment with the needs of people with disabilities;
  • Messaging to ensure inclusivity and accessibility to all emergency managers; and
  • Guidance to FEMA staff on how to ensure physical, program, and communication access to the whole community.

The course is live now and can be accessed on FEMA’s official website. The self-paced course should take two hours to complete.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 23-102: Now Open: Registration for Certified Investigator (CI) Initial Certification Course. The Initial CI Certification Course was created to ensure that all incidents requiring an investigation receive a systematic review that meets established standards. To perform investigations, the CI candidate must successfully complete all requirements of the CI Initial Certification Course. The CI Initial Certification process, as well as steps for registering for the CI Initial Certification course, are described in ODPANN 23-102. Please review the announcement for information and details.

As of December 2, 2023, Residential Habilitation procedure codes that reflect Needs Group 5 (NG5) have been loaded into the Home and Community Services Information System (HCSIS). These procedure codes have not been automatically added to provider service offerings. Providers will need to add the appropriate NG5 procedure codes via the service management screens in HCSIS. The instructions for adding a service can be found on the HCSIS Provider Updates Tip Sheet.

For any future NEA NG5 requests, please contact the rate setting mailbox for guidance. Previous communication regarding NG5 can be found here.

The PA Provider Advocacy Coalition, an organization that constitutes a variety of PA providers and advocates across all fields, recently sent a letter to the Shapiro Administration regarding the FY 2024/25 budget. RCPA signed onto the letter, which calls for rate adjustments and investments in Medicaid services in order to address the current workforce crisis. The Coalition states in the letter:

We recognize that addressing these workforce challenges will require a sustained, coordinated, multi-faceted public and private sector response. Earlier this year, our coalition met with representatives of your administration to recommend the creation of a Health Care Workforce Council to help lead this multiyear effort. However, there is one aspect of this overall problem that is relatively straightforward—chronic underpayment by the Medical Assistance program.

RCPA will continue to keep our members informed of updates. If you have any questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.