';
CLOSE
Tags Posts tagged with "Announcement"

Announcement

0 1877

ODP Announcement 21-090 is to provide guidance to licensees that operate Community Homes for Individuals with an Intellectual Disability or Autism, licensees that operate Life Sharing Homes, ODP-enrolled providers of licensed or unlicensed Residential Habilitation, ODP-enrolled providers of licensed or unlicensed Life Sharing, and/or ODP-enrolled Supported Living providers (“Providers”). This guidance is about the use of assistive technology and remote supports to achieve individual’s goals and outcomes while balancing the benefits of technology use with the requirement to protect each individual’s right to privacy.

ODP has developed a Residential Technology Evaluation Tool to assist providers in determining whether a privacy violation will or may occur. The tool is not a required form, although ODP strongly recommends its use. Providers may develop their own tool to determine whether a privacy violation will or may occur.

ODP is holding a webinar to discuss requirements and best practices for the use of assistive technology and remote supports in residential settings. The date, time, and link for registration to attend the webinar are as follows:

0 1030

ODP Announcement 21-088 announces the release of an updated Certified Investigator Peer Review Manual and notifies providers that Temple University will begin its 2021–2022 peer review process on December 1, 2021.

This document replaces the manual that was published in 2018. All prospective and current CIs, Administrative Review Committee (ARE) members, and other administrative staff are required to be familiar with the peer review process guidelines that are outlined in the manual. Prospective and current CIs, ARE members, and other administrative staff should review the entire 2021 Certified Investigator Peer Review Manual to ensure their understanding and use of the standards and protocols contained within it.

To align with Incident Management (IM) Bulletin 00-21-02 (which was issued March 1, 2021, and became effective on July 1, 2021) and the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) system, several new or expanded topics have been added to the manual. The 2021 Certified Investigator Peer Review Manual can be found on MyODP by using the following path:

  • Training > Certified Investigator Program > CI Help and Resources > All Documents > Manuals; or
  • By clicking: 2021 Certified Investigator Peer Review Process Manual.

In addition to the release of the 2021 Certified Investigator Peer Review Manual, Temple University will begin its 2021–2022 peer review process on December 1, 2021. Provider investigations will be selected at random, and notifications will be sent by Temple University to inform providers of the incidents selected for review.

If you have any questions regarding the 2021 Certified Investigator Peer Review Manual or Peer Review process, please contact Temple directly.

0 1083

ODP Announcement 21-087 is to inform all interested parties of CMS’ approval of amendments to the Consolidated, Community Living, and Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS) waivers (hereafter referred to as the Intellectual Disability and Autism [ID/A] waivers). The ID/A waiver amendments became effective on November 22, 2021, and are available on the Department of Human Services’ website.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) developed a Record of Change document that contains all of the substantive changes in the approved ID/A amendments. Each full waiver application approved by CMS and the Record of Change document are available as follows:

ODP is also holding a webinar to provide an overview of all substantive changes in the approved ID/A amendments. The date, time, and link for registration to attend the webinar are as follows:

ODP is developing two additional communications regarding the provision of remote supports in residential settings and non-residential settings, including information about webinars that will be held regarding the provision of remote supports.

CONTACT: Questions about this communication should be directed to the appropriate Office of Developmental Programs Regional Office.

0 1777

ODP Announcement 21-085 serves to communicate that registration for the January–June 2022 sessions of the CI Initial Certification Course are now open on MyODP. Due to continued concerns regarding COVID-19, all January–June 2022 Initial CI Certification sessions (or cohorts) of the course will be provided virtually rather than in person. To register, use the registration link on the Certified Investigator Initial Certification Course Information page. You must be logged into MyODP to access the registration page.

For assistance with registration, contact Sarah Naughton. For questions regarding the course or its topics, contact Amanda Black.

0 3396

American Rescue Plan Act: One-Time Supplemental Payment to Address Recruitment, Retention, and COVID-19 Related Staff Expenses

ODP Announcement 21-086 is to provide guidance about the process to request one-time payments to cover COVID-19 related expenses for high staff vacancy. The American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 (ARPA) provides a temporary 10% increase to the federal medical assistance percentage (FMAP) for certain Medicaid expenditures for home and community-based services (HCBS). The funding is to be used to enhance, expand, or strengthen HCBS beyond what is available under the Medicaid program as of April 1, 2021, and through March 31, 2024.

As part of the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) ARPA spending plan to strengthen HCBS, providers can receive a one-time supplemental payment to address recruitment, retention, and COVID-19 related staffing expenses for direct support professionals or supports coordinators to include funding for hazard pay, costs of recruitment efforts, sign-on bonuses, retention bonuses, and other incentive payments. Providers will be required to complete and submit the attached Provider Attestation Form for One-Time Supplemental Payment and submit it to ODP for consideration.

Providers will be subject to recoupment of funds if it is identified in a state or federal audit or any other authorized third-party review that the provider has inappropriately billed for services or received duplicative payments for services provided or if expenses were reimbursed by duplicative funding streams. No portion of the supplemental payment can be utilized to increase executive compensation.

Providers will be required to continue providing services from December 1, 2021, through June 30, 2022, obtaining written consent from ODP for any discontinuation of a service line or closure of a service setting. Additionally, providers will comply with all reporting requirements related to the use of the supplemental payment.

Requests submitted by December 17, 2021, will be processed for payment prior to the end of December. Requests for supplemental payments may be submitted through January 31, 2022.

0 905

ODP Announcement 21-084 announces that the renewal of the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 18, 2021. As communicated in ODP Announcement 21-067, the renewal of the AAW has no substantive changes from the previously approved waiver.

The renewal was submitted with no substantive changes because some previously proposed changes to the AAW conflicted with the requirements of Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act and CMS guidance that was published in May of 2021. The renewal is effective July 1, 2021, and can be found on the DHS website.

Because the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is not making the changes it originally planned to the AAW, ODP will not be implementing the proposed rates published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on May 22, 2021. Any new proposed changes to rates will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for a public comment period prior to implementation.

0 1100

ODP Announcement 21-082 announces the release of the Quality Assessment and Improvement (QA&I) Annual Statewide Report for Fiscal Year 2020–2021. The report provides QA&I review results of AEs, SCOs, and Providers and includes a summary analysis of statewide data collected during Interim Year 1 (IY1) of the QA&I cycle for the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), Community Living, and Adult Autism waivers.

The report highlights successes and opportunities for systemic quality improvement discovered during QA&I reviews in a streamlined, easy-to-use format. Key results are underscored in entity-specific subsections entitled “Reasons to Celebrate” and “Highlighting Opportunities.” The intent of the latter is to encourage entities to target these low performing areas with quality improvement activities.

0 2463

ODP Announcement 21-083 provides some guidance to providers when determining whether an event involving staff employed by the provider constitutes alleged neglect in accordance with the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) regulations such that it must be reported as an incident in the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) system. This announcement also provides guidance about applying regulatory requirements related to complaint management when an event does not require reporting as an incident of alleged neglect.

When alleged neglect is reported for events that do not meet the criteria, it compromises ODP’s ability to identify and act on events that do constitute neglect or an allegation of neglect. When an event does not meet such criteria, providers should address and manage the event as a complaint in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. A report of alleged neglect should not be filed when a service was not rendered due to the absence of direct care staff and the absence did not place the individual at a health or safety risk. In this circumstance, a provider should follow their complaint management process as opposed to filing a reportable incident.

For more information regarding compliant management and incident reporting, see ODP Announcement 21-083.

0 1802

ODP Announcement 21-076 announces the release of the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP’s) Annual Waiting List report. The waiting list is comprised of individuals who are eligible to receive services and supports through ODP’s four home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers; however, due to insufficient waiver capacity, the state cannot currently meet their needs.

In this report, you’ll find information regarding ODP’s strategies and initiatives to address the problem. The report also demonstrates the progress that has been made since 2015 to reduce the number of individuals on the waiting list. The Annual Waiting List Report 2021 is located online at MyODP.

Prev1...456Next Page 5 of 6
© 2021 - Rehabilitation & Community Providers Association