ANCOR Briefing on H.R.1: Recording and Materials Now Available
Recording
ODP Releases Room & Board FAQ
The Office of Developmental Program’s (ODP) Room and Board Bulletin was published March 17, 2025, with training that followed for Residential Habilitation, Life Sharing Providers, related professionals, and individuals and families.
These trainings can be found at:
- Providers: Room and Board Training: For Residential Habilitation & Life Sharing Professionals – MyODP
- Individuals and Families: Room and Board Training: For Individuals and Families – MyODP
ODP has been collecting FAQs from all stakeholders and developing further guidance to the field. This is the first version of questions and answers. ODP will continue to develop future FAQs as needed.
Read ODP Announcement 25-063 for more details.
CONTACT:
Questions about this communication should be directed to the appropriate ODP Regional Office.
Access the Free Webinar Recording of “How to Protect What You’ve Earned in Uncertain Times”
DHS Proposed 2025/26 Budget Webinar Materials Now Available
Secretary Val Arkoosh and leadership from the Department of Human Services (DHS) hosted a webinar to discuss the proposed 2025/26 budget for the Department on Friday, February 7, 2025.
The recording is available here, and the PowerPoint has been made available.
RCPA will continue to update members on the budget as information becomes available. If you have further questions, please contact your RCPA Policy Director.
OMHSAS Peer Support Services Stakeholder Meeting Recording Now Available
The Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) is providing the YouTube link from their last quarterly PSS Stakeholders Call that was held on January 14, 2025, as well as the presentation that was reviewed, for any interested stakeholders or individuals.
The next meeting is scheduled for Tuesday, April 8, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. A meeting invite will be distributed closer to the meeting date.
Recommendations for agenda topics or questions can be submitted electronically to the OMHSAS Peer Support Services inbox and must be submitted at least two weeks prior to the meeting date.
Please reach out to RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp with any questions.
Recording Available: Medication Administration System Upgrade Overview for Trainers
A webinar was held on October 25 from 10:00 am – 11:00 am for Med Admin Trainers to review how to create new student classes (including Practicum Observer classes), view grader reports of their students, and enter observation and remediation scores. The recording of the session is now available here. A Frequently Accessed Questions document related to the session will be developed and made available within the next two weeks.
You may also access the handouts from the presentation below:
ODP Hosts First Provider Preparedness Summit
Today, June 3, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) held the first of four Provider Preparedness Summits for Residential Services providers. The purpose of the summits are to take a deeper dive into the specifics that are being proposed for implementation of performance-based contracting (PBC).
The PowerPoint is now available, and a recording of the session will be posted shortly on the MyODP website.
ODP staff in attendance answered many questions submitted by providers. One of the key takeaways from today’s summit is that ODP will be postponing the due date for residential provider agreements to be signed and submitted to ODP. Originally, they were projected to be due by June 30, 2024; however, ODP has now stated that the due date will be July 31, 2024. The agreement has not yet been published, but it is expected to be released tomorrow, June 4, 2024.
There are three additional summits planned, and ODP will be recording each summit. Providers are encouraged to attend all four sessions as well as watch a pre-recorded webinar. All of these resources can be found on the MyODP website.
Contact Carol Ferenz for further information.
Recording Now Available for National Council’s Webinar on IDD Managed Care, Featuring RCPA President/CEO Richard Edley
Novitas Solutions Releases Info From April 24 Review Choice Demonstration Webinar
On April 24, 2024, Novitas Solutions hosted their first webinar for inpatient rehabilitation facilities (IRF) in preparation for the start date of the IRF Review Choice Demonstration (RCD) in Pennsylvania on June 17, 2024. Novitas is the RCD contractor for the state of Pennsylvania. The webinar provided an overview of the process, the different review choices, and the instructions for contractor-specific portal (Novitasphere). While the webinar primarily covered the basics of the program as previously laid out in CMS’s materials, there was some new information that was shared:
- For the first time, Novitas introduced the clinical leadership team for the demonstration in Pennsylvania:
- Ene Ojile, the Contract Medical Director overseeing the RCD in Pennsylvania. Dr. Ojile is Board-Certified in Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation (PM&R), and she most recently served as Medical Director for a large freestanding inpatient rehabilitation hospital.
- Jessica Hicks, RN, MSN, the Medical Review Manager.
- Mia Jackson, RN, BSN, the Medical Review Team.
- There was some discussion and confusion about the methodology Novitas will use to calculate individual hospital’s affirmation rates under the RCD. During the webinar, Novitas staff stated that the total number of submissions and resubmissions would be included in the calculation, potentially penalizing hospitals for completing resubmissions even if the claim is eventually affirmed. After the webinar, Novitas circulated a “clarification” indicating that, “The number of resubmissions is not counted against the affirmation rate.” Additional clarification will be requested to confirm how the rates will be calculated and that the same methodology will be used as in Alabama.
The slides from the April 24 webinar are now available, and Novitas has also posted a recording of the main presentation (without the public Q&A portion) available here.
Novitas will also be hosting the following training and education webinars leading up to the start date. You can register for these webinars at their website.
- May 2 — Review Choice Selection & Process (PA IRF Providers Only)
- May 3 — RCD: How to Prepare (All JH and JL IRF Providers)
- June 4 — Pre-Claim and Post-Payment Review Submissions (PA IRF Providers Only)
Webinar Recording Now Available on CPS Community Waiver Amendment Changes in ID/A Waivers
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has shared ODPANN 23-104: Webinar Recording Now Available: Community Participation Support (CPS) Waiver Amendment Changes in the Intellectual Disability/Autism (ID/A) Waivers. This announcement provides details on accessing the webinar recording on CPS changes made in the recently approved ID/A waiver amendments. Please view the announcement for access information.
