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Physical Disabilities & Aging

Early bird rates for the 2024 RCPA Conference Embracing Challenges, Empowering Success are ending August 23meaning you won’t want to wait any longer to claim your seat, book that hotel room, and get ready to make new connections! Register today to gain access to over 60 thought-provoking workshops and speakers who are at the forefront of change in health and human services, including:

  • Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services Secretary Val Arkoosh, who will cover the State of the State, identifying both current priorities and upcoming initiatives; and
  • Vice President for State Partnerships and Innovation Donna Martin of ANCOR and Senior Vice President of Public Policy and Advocacy Reyna Taylor of the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, who will give national updates on practices being implemented nationwide as well as legislative updates from Washington, DC.

View our registration brochure for complete details on the conference schedule, current sponsors and exhibitors, and a word from RCPA President and CEO Richard Edley.

Time is also running out if your organization is interested in sponsoring or exhibiting at our conference — the deadline for items is August 23, 2024! Now is your chance to complete our Sponsors, Exhibitors, and Advertisers Brochure or contact Carol Ferenz, Conference Coordinator, for opportunities to showcase your organization.

We look forward to sharing more details in the near future and would like to extend a thank you to those organizations who have already pledged support for the conference! View our current sponsors and exhibitors on the RCPA Conference website!

Tuesday, August 6, 2024
1:00 pm – 2:00 pm EDT; 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm CDT;
11:00 am – 12:00 pm MDT; 10:00 am – 11:00 am PDT
Register Here

Jennifer Bernstein, PT, DPT

Speaker Bio:

Jennifer Bernstein, PT, DPT, is a Board-Certified Specialist in Oncologic Physical Therapy. Dr. Bernstein has been a practicing physical therapist for over 10 years, all of which have been spent at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her areas of specialty practice within physical therapy include Oncology, Hematology, and Bone Marrow Transplant for pediatric, adolescent, and young adult patients. Jennifer received her Board Certification in Oncology in 2020 and has been involved in extensive program development and leadership roles representing the hospital’s occupational and physical therapists. She serves as the Specialization Chair for the Oncology section of the APTA, which allows her to actively engage with other passionate members of the organization. She serves as a mentor in the APTA Oncology Mentorship Program and has greatly enjoyed sharing her knowledge about the world of oncology physical therapy. Most recently, Whole-Body Vibration in Oncology Rehabilitation: Perceived Benefits, Barriers and Clinical Willingness was published in the Rehabilitation Oncology Journal, serving as Jen’s second publication. She has enjoyed being featured on “The OncoPT Podcast” and serving as a guest contributor for a Medbridge Course About Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology.

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

  • Demonstrate knowledge of the evidence on exercise and patients with cancer;
  • Identify precautions, indications, and contraindications to be considered when working with individuals under treatment for cancer​;
  • Acknowledge the diversity, complexity, and variability involved in a cancer diagnosis at various life stages; and
  • Establish an understanding of the role of rehab professionals throughout the continuum of care for patients undergoing treatment for cancer in various practice settings​.

Audience: This webinar is intended for all interested members of the rehabilitation team.

Level: Beginner – Intermediate

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

Complimentary webinars are a benefit of membership in IPRC/RCPA. Registration fee for non-members is $179. Not a member yet? Consider joining today.

The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), with support from Mercer Government Human Services Consulting (Mercer), part of Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, is conducting a rate study survey for the following Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS):

  • Adult Day;
  • Structured Day Habilitation;
  • Employment and Training;
  • Personal Assistance (Agency);
  • Personal Assistance (Participant-Directed); and
  • Residential Habilitation.

Please complete the survey for the Calendar Year (CY) 2023, which spans from January 1, 2023, through December 31, 2023, unless it is otherwise specified. Please submit the survey by Friday, August 23, 2024. This survey is one piece of the targeted rate review and is intended to collect current provider rate and wage data and general feedback on the challenges of providing these services. The information collected in this survey will be used to assist in developing a point of reference for the rate range to evaluate current payment rates. In addition to results from this survey, the review will include payment rate information from Managed Care Organizations (MCO) in OLTL claims data, recent legislative policies, department expectations, and other data obtained from publicly available sources.

HCBS providers that delivered multiple service categories during CY 2023 should fill out this survey separately for each service category you delivered.

HCBS providers that did not deliver any of the service categories listed above should disregard this survey. OLTL is partnering with Mercer to perform a rate study exclusive to the service categories listed above at this time.

The information collected for this survey will be used for both this rate study and to meet the requirements of House Bill 1300 from the 2023–2024 Pennsylvania General Assembly regular session. The information you provide will remain confidential and private and will only be shared publicly through high level summary reports that do not include provider level detail. Please comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA) and do not share any protected health information (PHI) within your survey responses.

You can review the survey questions before starting the survey. This survey tool does not allow individuals to save and go back to answer questions. Please have all your agency information such as wages, employee information, and financial statements readily available. This will help you to submit accurate information when answering the questions.

HCBS providers can access the survey here. OLTL and Mercer appreciate your time and this valuable feedback. If you have any questions or need assistance, please reach out via email. A listserv has been established for ongoing updates on the CHC program. It is titled OLTL-COMMUNITY-HEALTHCHOICES; please visit the ListServ Archives page to update or register your email address.

Please share this email with other members of your organization as appropriate. Also, it is imperative that you notify the Office of Long-Term Living for changes that would affect your provider file, such as addresses and telephone numbers. Mail to/pay to addresses, email addresses, and phone numbers may be updated electronically through ePEAP, which can be accessed through the PROMISe™ provider portal. For any other provider file changes please notify the Bureau of Fee for Service Programs Enrollment and Certification Section at 1-800-932-0939 Option # 1.

If you have any questions, please contact Fady Sahhar or Melissa Dehoff.

RCPA is excited to once again host the RCPA PAC silent auction, which is to be held in conjunction with the RCPA conference. The silent auction will take place outside Connections Hall during the conference, and we are looking to attract the attention of over 700 attendees, including registrants, presenters, exhibitors, and sponsors. The money raised helps to support the RCPA PAC, which provides financial support to state legislators who have demonstrated a strong, consistent, and positive interest in our issues and priorities.

We are requesting your consideration in assisting us by providing a donation of an auction item. We are hoping to secure a variety of auction items that will be enticing to all members. All donations are greatly appreciated and can be something as simple as a gift certificate for a restaurant to a basket of sorts (candy, movie night, grilling items, cooking theme, etc.). We are also accepting items such as jewelry, designer handbags, tickets to college or professional sporting events, golf items, and sports memorabilia.

We would like to thank our donors to date, including the following:

  • Kate Spade Bag — Gretchen Kelly
  • PUPS Basket — Willetts Tech
  • Basket of Sorts — Pyramid Healthcare
  • Hershey Lodge Stay — Hershey Resorts
  • Basket of Sorts — Venango Training & Development Center, Inc.
  • 2 Steelers/Cowboys Football Tickets — Corporate Benefits Consultants, Inc.
  • Basket of Sorts — Chartiers Center
  • 6 Penn State Tickets vs. Maryland — ZMark Health
  • Basket of Sorts — Hope Enterprises
  • 2 Branded Sweaters & 2 Yeti Coffee Mugs — Greenspace Health
  • Round of Golf for 4 People — Center for Community Resources
  • Basket of Sorts — Firetree, Ltd.
  • Cavalcanti Italian Leather Handbag — The Cambria County Association for the Blind and Handicapped
  • Lottery Ticket Tree — Cori’s Place
  • Basket of Sorts — Consulting for Human Services
  • Family Movie Night Basket — Wesley Family Services
  • IPad — Altruix
  • Family Game Night Basket — UCP of Central PA
  • Handmade Charcuterie Board — Progressive Workshop of Armstrong County
  • Outdoor Fun Basket — Corporation for Independent Living
  • Wine Basket — Consulting for Human Services

Please contact Christine Tartaglione before September 6, 2024, if you would like to donate any items. Thank you for your consideration of our request. We hope we can count on your support, and we look forward to seeing you at the conference.

The Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) and Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) have announced that they are holding their Statewide Quarterly Positive Approaches & Practices virtual meeting on Thursday, August 8. The meeting will be held from 10:30 am – 3:00 pm, and the topic will be “Building Dementia Friendly Pennsylvania.”

View the flyer for detailed session and registration information.

The agenda for the August 7, 2024, Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Subcommittee meeting has been released. The meeting is hybrid and will be held for in-person attendees in the Honors Suite, 1st floor, 333 Market Street, Harrisburg, PA 17126. The meeting is scheduled for 10:00 am – 1:00 pm. Comments and questions may be sent electronically. Details for attending via webinar can be found below: