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Tags Posts tagged with "2023"

2023

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RCPA will be hosting our 2023 Capitol Day on Monday, April 24. During the day, RCPA will hold a press conference and rally on the steps of the Capitol outside the Main Rotunda between 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. Invited representatives for the press conference include Rep. Dan Miller, Rep. Mike Schlossberg, Rep. Donna Oberlander, Rep. Bridget Kosierowski, Rep. Doyle Heffley, and Rep Stephen Kinsey. Those invited will speak alongside Richard S. Edley, President and CEO of RCPA, and RCPA Policy Directors. If you have not registered for this event, please register here.

RCPA requests members schedule appointments with their Senate and House legislators to discuss the state budget, legislation, and regulations. Members may access the following documents to be used in their meetings with their representatives:

Copies of materials will also be available at the Capitol Rally.

Members can visit the Pennsylvania Capitol website to find parking information and maps. If you have questions regarding our 2023 Capitol Day, please contact Jack Phillips.

We look forward to seeing you on April 24!

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RCPA will be hosting our 2023 Capitol Day on Monday, April 24. During the day, RCPA will have a press conference and rally on the steps of the Capitol outside the Main Rotunda between 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. We need your attendance, as well as that of staff and individuals/families you serve who are impacted by funding restraints, in order to show legislators, the administration, and any press in attendance that these issues — and these individuals — matter. We are also requesting that members schedule appointments with their Senate and House legislators to discuss the state budget, legislation, and regulations. Register for Capitol Day press conference/rally here.

In order to assist in your preparations for the day, you can view the updated RCPA Legislative and Administrative Priorities. Members can also visit the Pennsylvania Capitol website to find parking information and maps. If you have questions regarding our 2023 Capitol Day, please contact Jack Phillips.

We look forward to seeing you on April 24!

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RCPA will be hosting our 2023 Capitol Day on Monday, April 24. During the day, RCPA will have a press conference and rally on the steps of the Capitol outside the Main Rotunda between 12:30 pm – 1:30 pm. We are requesting that members schedule appointments with their Senate and House legislators to discuss the state budget, legislation, and regulations. Please register for Capitol Day press conference/rally here.

In the near future, RCPA will be sending out legislative priorities and other policy documents for legislative visits. Please watch your emails for Capitol Day updates. As an additional resource, members can go on the Pennsylvania Capitol website to find parking and maps of the Capitol. If you have questions regarding our 2023 Capitol Day, please contact Jack Phillips.

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Photo by Giorgio Trovato on Unsplash

The Dennis Marion Impact Award recognizes local and state government employees whose initiatives, processes, and projects have led to significant improvements in Pennsylvania’s behavioral health service delivery system.

Background:
The Dennis Marion Impact Award was established in 2017 in honor of Dennis Marion’s commitment to public service throughout his distinguished career, which spanned over three decades. Dennis served as Deputy Secretary for Pennsylvania’s Department of Human Services’ Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services from 2013 to 2017. Prior to his state employment, Dennis served Cumberland County, Pennsylvania for 31 years in various positions, such as County Administrator, Director of the Drug and Alcohol Commission, and Director of the Office of Mental Health and Intellectual Disabilities.

Just like Dennis Marion, whose strong leadership, passion for public service, and commitment to the people he served did not stop at the boundaries of his work in any single county or agency, the Dennis Marion Impact Award recognizes strong performers who bridge disparate missions and drive towards a single goal of excellence in public service.

Purpose:
The purpose of the Dennis Marion Impact Award is to recognize outstanding and meritorious achievement in working for state or local government, encourage the highest standards of performance in Pennsylvania’s public sector, attract outstanding individuals to a career in public service, and highlight public awareness of the value of public service and its impact on the behavioral health and quality of life of individuals and communities.

Eligibility Criteria:
Any current state and/or local government employee in Pennsylvania that has made an outstanding contribution in the area of behavioral health (mental health and/or substance use disorders) in Pennsylvania is eligible for nomination for the Dennis Marion Impact Award. Individuals that have built effective, collaborative partnerships across different organizations, agencies, and/or other stakeholders to define and solve problems, or reach agreements on a course of action, will be given priority consideration for this award.  Nominees’ contributions may be on a sustained basis or through a single, exceptional accomplishment. Nominations will be judged on three measurements: innovation, implementation, and outcomes.

Instructions:
The completed nomination form must be submitted electronically to Lindsay Graves via email by 5:00 pm EST on March 24, 2023. The nomination period is open from February 17, 2023, to March 24, 2023.. Nominations will not be accepted before or after the nomination period. Note that individuals may not self-nominate.

The award will be announced during Pennsylvania’s May 2023 Mental Health Awareness Month events. Questions regarding this award may be directed to Lindsay Graves via email.

Sponsoring Organizations:
Pennsylvania Department of Human Services — Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services
Mental Health Association in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania Association of County MH/DS Administrators
Rehabilitation and Community Providers Association
Pennsylvania Association of County Drug and Alcohol Administrators
Pennsylvania Mental Health Consumers’ Association

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This week, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) announced the Calendar Year 2023 Physician Fee Schedule (PFS) final rule. The final rule includes several National Council and RCPA recommended priorities. These are wins for mental health and substance use care organizations that will help expand access to care by strengthening the workforce.

RCPA recommends members review this 2023 Physicians Fee Schedule Final Rule Summary for impacts on your agencies practice and/or policies.

Key Highlights:

  • Telehealth Flexibility Extensions: CMS is extending telehealth flexibilities implemented under the Public Health Emergency (PHE) for a 151-day period after the expiration of the PHE.
  • CMS is allowing behavioral health clinicians to offer services incident to a Medicare practitioner under general (rather than direct) supervision.
  • Licensed professional counselors and marriage and family therapists are now able to bill incident to Medicare practitioner for their services.
  • Medicare will allow opioid treatment programs to use telehealth to initiate treatment with buprenorphine for patients with opioid use disorder, continuing the flexibilities under the Ryan Haight Act of 2008.
  • CMS is also clarifying that opioid treatment programs can bill for opioid use disorder treatment services provided through mobile units, such as vans, in accordance with Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) guidance.

The Final Rule, in alignment with the Consolidated Appropriations Act (CAA) of 2022, implements an extension of a number of flexibilities for a 151-day period after the expiration of the Public Health Emergency (PHE), which is set to expire on January 11, 2023.

In the event of further extensions of the federal PHE, we will communicate this info to members. Under the current timeframe for PHE continuation, states must be notified by November 11, 2022.

We thank our members and Steering Committees for their guidance, recommendations, and support through the review process. If you have any questions, please contact your respective RCPA Policy Director.

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On July 7, 2022, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released the proposed Medicare Physician Fee Schedule (MPFS) for calendar year (CY) 2023. In this proposed rule, CMS is proposing an approximately 4 percent reduction to the base payment factor for all services for 2023. The specific level of adjustment providers may see will depend on changes CMS finalizes to other factors. CMS is also proposing to expand the list of codes that can be provided via telehealth through 2023 to include some therapy codes. Modifications to the Quality Payment Program (QPP), which includes the Merit-Based Incentive Payment System (MIPS), to allow for additional pathways for participation for certain specialties is also being proposed. The proposed rule will appear in the July 29 Federal Register.

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Today, RCPA staff watched the Governor’s budget address and attended the Department of Human Services (DHS) 2022/23 Budget Overview webinar. After listening to the Governor and DHS, there were some positive takeaways for RCPA members. Specifically, the Governor is requesting:

  • $50 million, or a 44% increase to state supplemental programs for aged, blind, and individuals with disabilities, to increase the personal care home state supplement from $439.30 to $1,351.80 per month;
  • $75 million in federal funds to recruit and retain behavioral health providers;
  • $36.6 million to invest in critical county behavioral health services;
  • $15 million in federal funds to stabilize payments to substance use disorder treatment providers and assist with pandemic related expenses; and
  • $18.8 million to serve an additional 832 individuals with intellectual disabilities and autism currently waiting for services.

The Governor also proposed increasing the state’s minimum wage to $12 per hour effective July 1, 2022, including tipped workers, with 50 cent annual increases up to $15 per hour ($74.6 million direct revenue increase).

The above are some highlights from both the Governor’s budget request and the DHS presentation. While some of the Governor’s asks may seem beneficial to members, RCPA staff will be reviewing the more detailed spreadsheets we received from the Governor’s office. Once RCPA staff have had the opportunity to review and analyze these spreadsheets, members will receive a more detailed analysis of the Governor’s budget requests. RCPA plans to have the analysis done as soon as possible, so members can get a clearer picture. If you have any questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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