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Tags Posts tagged with "Administrative Burden"

Administrative Burden

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RCPA, along with The Alliance CSP, The Arc of Pennsylvania, MAX Association, PAR, and The Provider Alliance, submitted a joint letter to ODP Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens outlining recommended improvements to Community Participation Support (CPS). The letter highlights policy and regulatory barriers affecting person-centered services, workforce stability, and provider sustainability, and urges ODP to pursue near-term solutions through policy clarification or regulatory waivers.

Key recommendations include:

  • Planning and Coordination Billing: Allow billing for planning and coordination while CPS services are delivered and permit billing at ratios aligned with individuals’ actual support needs (e.g., 1:1, 1:2, 1:3). Associations recommend a new billing code/modifier or a statewide ODP announcement.
  • Program Specialist Education Requirements: Align education requirements for program specialists in Chapters 2380 and 2390 with Life Sharing and unlicensed residential models by permitting a high school diploma plus six years of ID/A experience, ideally through a blanket waiver announced via ODP Bulletin.
  • Dual Licensure for Chapter 2380 Programs: Eliminate dual licensure with the Department of Aging for providers billing exclusively to ODP when serving individuals age 60 and over, and remove the age cap of 59 in Chapter 2380 through regulatory change or waiver.
  • Rounding of 15-Minute Units: Allow rounding of 15-minute service units to reduce administrative burden and align with Office of Long-Term Living practices.

The associations stress that these changes are essential to sustaining safe, meaningful, and person-centered CPS services. RCPA will continue advocacy with ODP and provide updates as they are available.

For Questions or Additional Information
Please contact Tim Sohosky for any follow-up or inquiries related to this update.

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Checklist concept - checklist, paper and pen

The Pennsylvania Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP) and the Department of Human Services (DHS) launched a new initiative designed to reduce administrative burden for substance use disorder (SUD) and mental health treatment providers that are licensed by both agencies.

Specifically, licensing staff from both DDAP and DHS will begin conducting coordinated annual inspections of SUD and mental health treatment facilities that are licensed by both agencies for outpatient, partial hospitalization, and residential services. The new initiative, which is voluntary, could impact up to 170 jointly licensed facilities that provide SUD and mental health services.

DDAP and DHS launched the new initiative today, July 14, by holding a webinar for impacted providers on the new inspection process, including how to pre-submit information. In addition, the agencies plan to survey providers to receive feedback on the new process that will allow for any necessary modifications to be made to the joint inspection process.

“On behalf of our behavioral health provider members across the Commonwealth, I want to thank DDAP and DHS for their hard work on this initiative. Reducing administrative burden has been and remains a top priority for RCPA, and we are grateful that the Shapiro Administration has responded, not only with this joint licensing inspection process, but with the other work it is currently doing to address provider burdens, including its work to reform regulations,” said Jason Snyder, Substance Use Disorder Treatment Services Director of Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association. “We look forward to continuing to collaborate with both departments in the future on additional ways to enable providers to put even more of their focus on patient care.”

Read the entire press release.

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