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Due to feedback shared with the Department of Human Services (DHS) regarding the importance of providing behavioral health services in nursing facilities and making sure nursing facilities know how to access these services, DHS has developed a webinar entitled “Behavioral Health Services for the Nursing Facility Population.” The webinars, which all contain the same material being presented, is a joint effort with the DHS’ Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL), Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), the Behavioral Health (BH) Managed Care Organizations (MCO), and the Community HealthChoices (CHC) MCOs, and it is being hosted by the Pennsylvania Health Care Association (PHCA). Other collaborative partners include the PA Department of Health and LeadingAge PA.
The webinars are as follows:
Tuesday, April 26, 2022
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
1.5 CEUs for SNF
Please register using this registration link.
Tuesday, May 3, 2022
2:00 pm–3:30 pm
1.5 CEUs for SNF
Please register using this registration link.
The first webinar was conducted on April 12, 2022. The webinars will be interactive and are meant for nursing facilities to have the opportunity to ask questions and begin dialogue on how to improve behavioral health services in their facilities. The webinars will also allow the BH-MCOs, the CHC-MCOs, and the nursing facilities to further collaborate on this issue. The webinars will be recorded.
Webinar Presenters:
Questions should be directed to Marjorie Faish, OLTL.
A message from the Department of Human Services (DHS):
Attention Personal Care Services (PCS) and Home Health Care Services (HHCS) Providers:
DHS would like to announce that the Alternate EVV Technical Specifications and updated Sandata Alternate EVV Error Handling Overview and Reference Guide are available online for your review prior to the upcoming Alternate EVV Town Hall on April 11, 2022, at 1:00 pm ET (visit here to register). There will be a second session held May 27, 2022, at 12:00 pm ET for any additional questions that may arise.
All Alternate EVV vendors will need to be certified following the new Alternate EVV Technical Specifications published March 30, 2022. Vendors are expected to review the technical specifications document in its entirety and submit any questions during your registration to the Alternate EVV Town Hall.
If a vendor is not certified (due to being new to EVV) or recertified, the EVV visits will not be accepted for any provider agency the vendor supports. For PCS, the claims or encounters will deny because visit data would not be accepted as a result of the vendor not being recertified.
DHS recommends providers work with their EVV vendor to complete system updates to allow for sufficient time to complete integration testing and the recertification process prior to the Sandata EVV Release. The deployment date is currently expected to be on June 15, 2022. Any changes to this date will be communicated in a future Listserv. The initial certification process can be lengthy, and vendors should prepare accordingly. The minimum recommended time is 7.5 business weeks.
Further contact information for recertification will be provided at the Alternate EVV Town Hall on April 11, 2022.
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared the message that the Provider Electronic Solutions software, commonly referred to as PES, will be sunset on June 15, 2022. PES was distributed free of charge to providers as a method of submitting HIPAA-ready transactions such as claims and eligibility to the PROMISe system.
Effective June 15, 2022, the software will not work with Microsoft Edge or other commonly used internet browsers. The Department of Human Services (DHS) will no longer upgrade PES due to the product’s age, limited configurability, and end-user experience. The Provider Assistance Center (PAC), which was maintained by Gainwell Technologies, will no longer provide user support for PES effective June 15. 2022.
Providers are encouraged to use the PROMISe Provider Portal to submit claims, validate eligibility, conduct claim inquires, and access their weekly remittance advice. The PROMISe Provider portal is available free of charge and allows single-entry interactive submissions. Additionally, users can purchase certified software from software vendors or contract with a clearinghouse to handle ongoing HIPAA transaction needs.
