Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) Guidance for Visitation in Residential Settings
ODP
ODP Shares Information Regarding the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-Term Care Program
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is partnering with pharmacies to offer on-site COVID-19 vaccination services for long-term care facilities when a vaccine becomes available. The Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care Program provides end-to-end management of the COVID-19 vaccination process, including cold chain management, on-site vaccinations, and fulfillment of reporting requirements, to facilitate safe vaccination of this patient population while reducing the burden on facilities and jurisdictional health departments.
The program is available for residents and staff in long-term care settings where most individuals are over 65 years of age, including skilled nursing facilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, residential care homes, and adult family homes. Additionally, facilities must be enrolled in the National Healthcare Safety Network (NHSN) to participate in the Pharmacy Partnership for Long-term Care Program; all facilities enrolled in the NHSN are eligible to participate. Intermediate Care Facility and intellectual disability (ICF/ID) facilities wishing to enroll in the NHSN should follow the enrollment steps listed here. Other facilities wishing to participate should visit here to see if they are eligible to enroll in the NHSN.
Participation in this program identifies your facility as willing to receive vaccines from CVS or Walgreens when the vaccine becomes available and if your facility is eligible to receive COVID-19 vaccine. The program is free of charge to facilities. CVS or Walgreens will bill private and public insurance for the vaccine administration fee. Additional information regarding COVID-19 vaccination costs can be found here.
All Long-term Care Facilities wishing to participate in the program must be registered with the Pharmacy Partnership to determine eligibility.
ODP providers of adult day programs/Community Participation Supports, residential services, and Intermediate Care Facilities willing to receive the vaccine through this Partnership program may complete this online form. Please respond by 11:59 pm EDT on Friday, November 6, 2020
If you have any questions please email.
A Message from ODP Deputy Secretary Kristin Ahrens
To the Intellectual Disabilities and Autism Community,
October 27 marks a painful anniversary for Pennsylvania and for our nation. Two years ago today in Pittsburgh, 11 lives were taken during the brutal attack on the Tree of Life/L’Simcha Synagogue. Three of those people were members of the ID/A community. While we send strength and loving energy to the bereaved families and friends of all of those who perished that day, we are reminded of the need to keep their memories alive and to do all we can to muster the courage and hope to navigate times that test us to the core. We mark this day in quiet reflection but also with an awareness of the need to move forward even through the enormity of our sadness.
This year has brought unprecedented challenges for us all both individually and collectively. The pandemic is a stark reminder of our own vulnerability and of the fragility of life. At the same time, for so many, this is a time that has powerfully illustrated how much we all need and rely on one another. Even with the physical separation that this pandemic has necessitated, we have persevered and forged paths to connect and engage with each other.
With the myriad challenges and upheaval in our day-to-day lives and the tragic losses so many have endured, 2020 has gifted us with tremendous examples of courage, hope, and an unparalleled commitment to finding our way through unprecedented times. We see examples of this in our daily lives within our safe circles of family and friends. We also see this from our efforts with colleagues to do the most important work that focuses on helping keep others stay safe and connected to their communities and support systems.
Finally, as I sit at my desk looking out my window, I am awed by the beautiful and dramatic colors of the changing season. I don’t remember an autumn when the colors were quite so vivid and spectacular.
Perhaps the message on this day of remembrance and reflection is that, even in the midst of the hardest and most daunting challenges, there is always beauty and a reason for hope.
Kristin Ahrens
Deputy Secretary
ODP Update: September Retainer Payments
Rick Smith sent the following message on October 28, 2020:
To Providers of Community Participation Supports (CPS):
For those providers who have signed attestations, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is currently processing the September retainer payments allowed under Appendix K at 25 percent of your pre-COVID CPS billing. These payments should be visible on your November 2 remittance advice. ODP has also reviewed CPS billing from July to September and has identified some CPS providers who have signed attestations and are at or near pre-COVID billing levels with the combination of retainers and billings. Additionally, ODP has identified a number of CPS providers who have signed attestations and currently have receivable balances beyond 30 days with the office. If you fall into either of these two categories, you will not automatically see a retainer payment and should contact Rick Smith for further details.
CPS Supports in IDD Services Update Webinar Oct 4: Critical Information
DHS Announces Dual Diagnosis Conference 2019
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) are pleased to announce a statewide conference focused on building capacity to better support the complex needs of individuals in the community. The conference theme is Expanding Capacity: Reaching Further.
The Conference will be held on Wednesday, August 21 and Thursday, August 22, 2019 at the Blair County Convention Center, 1 Convention Center Drive, Altoona, PA 16602.
Keynote and Plenary Speakers include:
- Gina Calhoun – Program Director, Doors to Wellbeing, National Consumer Technical Assistance Center
Topic: WRAP: Living a Self-Determined Well Life - Julie Gentile, MD, Professor and Chair, Psychiatry – Wright State University
Topic: Practicing Medicine in the Digital World - Angela Moreland, PhD – Assistant Professor, National Crime Victims Research and Treatment Center, Medical University of South Carolina
Topic: Trauma-Informed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy: From Research to Practice
Breakout Session Topics include:
- The Importance of Data Collection Relevant to Behavior Change and Medication;
- Autism and the Justice System;
- Communication and Collaboration: Supporting Transition Across the Lifespan; and
- Creative Strategies for Mental Health Professional in State Hospitals.
For more information, visit: https://www.myodp.org/mod/url/view.php?id=22147
For registration information, visit: https://www.myodp.org/mod/url/view.php?id=22147REGISTRATION:
Online registration is now open and will remain available until Friday, August 9, 2019. The registration fee is $100 and includes lunch, break snacks, and all materials.
This conference is hosted by the Office of Developmental Programs and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services and supported by the Money Follows the Person grant funded by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.
News & Announcements for AAW and ACAP Providers and SCOs
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has released several documents with pertinent information this month that is specifically directed to Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) and Adult Community Autism Providers (ACAP) providers and/or SCOs.
ODP Announcement 19-092 requests that Support Coordinators and Behavioral Specialists working with AAW and ACAP complete a survey about the Periodic Risk Evaluation (PRE). The data will be utilized in order to improve the user’s experience with the PRE and for supporting providers to identify and mitigate risks. The survey is to be completed by Friday, July 26, 2019; access the survey here.
ODP Announcement 19-094 communicates the process, effective immediately, for SCs in the AAW to inform individuals about the Right to be Free from Abuse initiative. This involves informing individuals about abuse, neglect, and exploitation and protections available to them. This must be completed annually during one of the quarterly in-person meetings and documented in a Service Note.
ODP Announcement 19-096 announces registration is open for a two-day Supports Coordinator training on Charting the Lifecourse by ODP. The training will provide an overview of the Charting the Lifecourse tools and resources to support the framework, and further discuss how BSASP programs can use the tools to support the people within the programs. The link to register is here.
ODP Announcement 19-099 provides clarification to AAW and ACAP Providers and SCOs about the new SPeCTRUM 2.0 Training. Due to the discovery of technical issues with some of the modules, ODP announced that while these issues are being resolved, staff and providers only need to complete part of the training. Only Modules 1 and 2 must be completed before enrolling as a new provider AND before newly hired staff may provide services to program participants. Modules 3–9 must be completed within 60 days of beginning to provide services to any program participants. Current provider and SCO staff and ACAP staff who have taken SPeCTRUM 1.0 and are currently providing services must complete all 9 modules by October 1, 2019.
Contact RCPA IDD Division Director Carol Ferenz with questions.
EVV Update for ODP and OLTL Providers
Home and Community Based Services Provider Settings Self-Assessment Update 2
ODP Communication Number 088-18 states that since the HCBS Provider Settings Self-Assessments due date of June 12, 2018, ODP staff have been analyzing and reviewing completed self-assessments. ODP received over 6,518 HCBS Provider Settings Self-Assessments from Residential Providers, as well as over 676 self-assessments from Non-Residential Providers. ODP appreciates the cooperation of all the providers who have completed the self-assessment by the deadline.
ODP staff have been reaching out to providers that did not complete a self-assessment for an active service location, providers who completed a self-assessment but ODP staff could not match it to a service location, or providers who completed multiple self-assessments for one service location. ODP previously stated that all providers that completed a self-assessment would receive a report by September 30, 2018 that identifies any areas indicated in the self-assessment that require a transition plan. Due to amount of outreach and analysis needed, ODP needs additional time to create these reports and will send them to providers by October 31, 2018.
Providers for which ODP has no record of receiving a self-assessment for an active service location were emailed on October 1, 2018 to inform them that an on-site inspection would be scheduled.
scheduled. This aligns with the latest ODP Announcement, Home and Community Based Services (HCBS) Settings Self-Assessment Status Update 1, ODP Communication Number 054-18, which states that service locations for which ODP has not received a completed self-assessment will be deemed non-compliant and will have an on-site inspection scheduled.
For questions related to this communication, please contact RA-OWODPHCBSSETTINGS@pa.gov
ACRE Training – 500 Seats Available Through College of Employment Services
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has announced the availability of 500 additional seats for the College of Employment Services (CES) Online Association of Community Rehabilitation Educators (ACRE) Basic Employment Certification Course.
This CES ACRE course consists of two parts: 11 self-directed online modules and a CES ACRE Supplement. To obtain the complete ACRE Basic Certification of Achievement, participants must complete both Part 1 and Part 2 of the CSE Certified Training. There is a discounted cost to complete the supplement portion at $170 until December 31, 2018. Effective January 1, 2019, this cost will increase to $225 per learner.
Individual providers and provider agencies are no longer limited to requesting CES access for 15 individual learners. Please be aware that participation in the training must be for individuals who are required to possess the ACRE Certificate of Achievement. Your organization must obtain administrative rights for the number of learners for which your organization is interested in registering for CES training.
- If your organization is currently providing training to specific learners through CDS, and these same learners need CES training, the organization does not need to obtain additional administrative rights.
- If your organization is new to CES, you will need to contact the Elsevier organization to purchase administrative rights based on the number of CES learners your organizations wishes to enroll.
- If your organization is interested in both CDS and CES, your organization will need to contact the Elsevier organization to purchase administrative rights based on the number of learners your organization wishes to enroll.
For further information regarding the Elsevier organization and/or administrative costs, please contact Leigh Evans, Account Specialist, Elsevier Clinical Solutions, 404-799-4009.
Prev