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Telehealth

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Photo by Sincerely Media on Unsplash

RCPA regional meetings are back! We invite you to attend a regional meeting in your area on any of the following dates in August or September 2022. The meetings will focus on RCPA issues, including:

  • Legislative information;
  • Division and conference updates;
  • DHS updates; and
  • Status of the CCBHC/ICWC program in PA.

We will also provide an update to the addiction treatment community on our advocacy efforts to ensure the Opioid Use Disorder Centers of Excellence transition from a DHS-directed payment model to a state plan service is fair and manageable for providers. In addition, ProVantaCare (our sister managed care entity) will review its efforts, goals, and upcoming opportunities.

The meeting will include lunch. Immediately following lunch, we invite RCPA members and advocates to invite their consumers, children, and families to the Delta Center Convening on Telehealth, which will feature discussions and subsequent recommendations to guide the PA Delta Center team in its advocacy in developing regulations, bulletins, and practices that ensure equity and access to services for all communities. Our previous telehealth forums have been incredibly informative and enlightening as participants share their life experience and perspectives that can shape policy development. Your participation will be key to our ongoing work in ensuring a healthy and sustainable telehealth footprint in Pennsylvania. For additional information, please contact Jim Sharp, Director, Children’s Division.

Please see the full agenda here. Registration is required.

We hope you will join us for this regional event! Please register below:

Monday, August 1 – RCPA Central Regional Meeting and Delta Center Telehealth Convening
Sheraton Harrisburg Hershey Hotel, 4650 Lindle Road, Harrisburg, PA 17111
Register Here

Tuesday, August 2 – RCPA NE Regional Meeting and Delta Center Telehealth Convening
Holiday Inn Wilkes Barre, 600 Wildflower Drive, Wilkes-Barre, PA 18702
Register Here

Friday, August 19 – RCPA Western Regional Meeting and Delta Center Telehealth Convening
RLA Learning and Conference Center, 850 Cranberry Woods Drive, Cranberry Township, PA 16066
Register Here

Friday, September 16 – RCPA SE Regional Meeting and Delta Center Telehealth Convening
The Alloy King of Prussia, a DoubleTree by Hilton, 301 W. Dekalb Pike, King of Prussia, PA 19406
Register Here

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The Pennsylvania Department of State (DOS) has reversed course and extended its waiver allowing for an initial prescription of buprenorphine without an in-person physical exam. DOS had announced previously that the waiver would expire on June 30, 2022; however, DOS’s waiver will now continue until the last day of the federal public health emergency declaration, unless the exemptions are ended sooner by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) or the US Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA).

On Sept. 4, 2020, DOS issued a waiver suspending the State Board of Medicine’s regulation at 49 Pa. Code § 16.92(b)(1), which requires an initial physical examination of a patient prior to prescribing buprenorphine for the treatment of opioid use disorder. This waiver was sought specifically to complement the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs’ (DDAP) suspension of 28 Pa. Code § 715.9(a)(4) and “relates to Federal exemptions granted under the Federal public health emergency (PHE) declaration,” specifically the exemptions granted by the federal Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA).

Therefore, in accordance with section 2102-F(a.3) of the Pennsylvania Administrative Code of 1929 (amended by Act 14 of 2022), the Department of State’s waiver will continue until the last day of the federal public health emergency declaration, unless the exemptions are ended sooner by SAMHSA or the DEA. This waiver will not expire on June 30, 2022. More information about the federal public health emergency can be found here.

It is important to note that, to be considered within the acceptable and prevailing standard of care, the physician/prescriber must be following the applicable SAMHSA/DEA guidelines.

Pennsylvania has not received notification that the PHE will be terminated on July 15. The commonwealth expects the PHE to be extended again. If this occurs, this waiver and others tied to or related to the PHE will be extended until mid-October 2022.

Additional information:

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The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) has been sharing information and bringing awareness about the Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP), a Federal Communications Commission (FCC) program. This new long-term program can assist individuals who use telehealth services to help lower the cost of broadband service for eligible households struggling to afford internet service.

The ACP provides:

  • Up to $30/month discount for broadband service;
  • Up to $75/month discount for households on qualifying tribal lands; and
  • A one-time discount of up to $100 for a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet purchased through a participating provider if the household contributes more than $10 but less than $50 toward the purchase price.

The ACP is limited to 1 monthly service discount and 1 device discount per household.

Who’s Eligible?

An individual’s household is eligible for the ACP if the household income is at or below 200 percent of the Federal Poverty Guidelines or if a member of the household meets at least 1 of the criteria outlined on the FCC’s website.

Individuals can enroll in two steps by:

  1. Going to ACPBenefit to apply online or print a mail-in application; and
  2. Contacting their preferred participating ACP provider to select a plan, who will apply the discount to the patient’s bill.

Some ACP providers may request individuals to complete an alternative application. Eligible households must apply for the program and contact a participating provider to select a service plan.

For Additional Information:

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RCPA and our Delta Center Grant partner, the Pennsylvania Association of Community Health Centers (PACHC), invite people with first-hand experience and advocates using or trying to use telehealth services to share your experiences.

The discussions and subsequent recommendations will guide the PA Delta Center team in its advocacy in developing regulations, bulletins, and practices that ensure equity and access to services for all communities. These forums are to bring advocates and stakeholders to the table to provide life experience and perspectives that can shape policy development. We hope you will join us for one of these events, as your participation will be key to our ongoing work in ensuring a healthy and sustainable telehealth footprint in Pennsylvania.

People who are volunteering to join the forum for free will be paid a stipend of $20/hour for their time or given an equivalent in a gift card.

To register for the first forum on March 16, visit here.

To register for the second forum on March 30, visit here.

If you have any questions, please contact Sarah Eyster of RCPA.

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