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The Department of Human Services (DHS) has issued an updated stakeholder message regarding their actions in response to the COVID-19 crisis. Included in this message are updates to: 1135 Waiver, Appendix K Waiver, Residential Treatment Facility Visitation guidance, licensing, and Electronic Visit Verification (EVV). DHS also continues to work on updating a Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) document, which is expected to be shared very soon. Members are encouraged to frequently check the DHS website for the most up-to-date information.

In addition, Secretary Miller will host a call for stakeholders on Wednesday, March 25, 2020 at 4:00 pm. Registration information for this call will be shared on March 23, 2020.

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Late this afternoon, the Governor ordered all businesses to close at 8:00 pm tonight (Thursday, March 19), except for those considered life-sustaining. For those businesses that are not considered life-sustaining and do not close, the state will begin to take enforcement actions on Saturday, March 21, at 12:01 am.

RCPA members are considered life-sustaining businesses. For a complete chart of life-sustaining businesses, use this link.

Additional information regarding the Governor’s declaration can be found below:

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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This afternoon (Thursday, March 19), drug and alcohol stakeholders received the below email from the Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs Secretary Jen Smith. If you did not receive her email, please see it below in its entirety. The Secretary also provided helpful resources that can be found below:

Email from Sec. Smith:

Good evening,

First, I want to take an opportunity to thank each of you for the work that you are doing during this unprecedented time. As the front line of defense for our community you are making decisions and implementing procedures based on evolving guidance as we navigate unchartered waters. The department recognizes this is no easy task and fully commit to communicating timely to you as information is available.

As you develop continuity plans to mitigate COVID-19, I thought it would be helpful to share strategies that sister state agencies are adopting, as well as procedures from other states. The policies and procedures below and attached were developed for the safety of patients and staff during this time.

  • The Department of Human Services recently released guidance to restrict visitors to all state centers and state hospitals in line with the Center of Disease Control. The press release can be found here which details visitation policies that you may find useful in adopting.
  • Additionally, numerous attachments to this email are documents developed by Delaware for both patient and staff screenings in the event either party presents with COVID-19 symptoms.

With the spread of COVID-19 changing operations for the foreseeable future, continued flexibility will be key to successfully navigate this situation. One of the things that I have learned during my time in the drug and alcohol field is that this community is resilient. Thank you for your patience and your commitment to the individuals you serve. Together, we will get through this.

Jen Smith
Secretary
Drug and Alcohol Programs

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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Text of March 18 press release.

Harrisburg, PA — Health care professionals licensed under any of the Department of State’s Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs (BPOA) licensing boards can provide services to patients via telemedicine during the coronavirus emergency.

“Telemedicine provides health care professionals flexibility to continue treating their patients while following best practices on social distancing as outlined by the Department of Health,” Secretary Boockvar said. “The department requested, and Governor Wolf granted us, the authority to allow health care professionals from out-of-state to treat Pennsylvania residents using telemedicine, when appropriate, due to COVID-19.”

This new guidance applies to the following boards:

o Chiropractic
o Dentistry
o Medicine
o Nursing
o Optometry
o Pharmacy
o Podiatry
o Psychology
o Osteopathic Medicine
o Nursing Home Administrators
o Occupational Therapy Education and Licensure
o Physical Therapy
o Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists, and Professional Counselors
o Examiners in Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
o Veterinary Medicine

Currently, no Pennsylvania law prohibits the practice of telemedicine.

Additionally, the department is working with the Governor’s office, the Department of Health, and Department of Human Services to identify regulations and requirements that can be suspended to give medical providers and facilities the flexibility they need to respond to the crisis. We will publish these notifications on our website as they become available.

Governor Wolf also granted the department’s request for a suspension to allow licensed practitioners in other states to provide services to Pennsylvanians via the use of telemedicine, without obtaining a Pennsylvania license, for the duration of the emergency. Out-of-state practitioners must:

o Be licensed and in good standing in their home state, territory, or country.

o Provide the Pennsylvania board from whom they would normally seek licensure with the following information prior to practicing telemedicine with Pennsylvanians:
• their full name, home or work mailing address, telephone number and email address; and
• their license type, license number or other identifying information that is unique to that practitioner’s license, and the state or other governmental body that issued the license.

Please submit the information requested above to the appropriate board resource account listed on the BPOA website.

All practitioners using telemedicine in Pennsylvania must remain informed on all federal and state laws, regulations and guidance regarding telemedicine, including a practitioner’s obligations under the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and recent guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

Authorization to engage in telemedicine from a professional licensing standpoint is separate and apart from any insurance coverage/payment issues that fall under the Department of Health, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Insurance, or any other state or federal agency.

The Department of Human Services issued guidance for Behavioral Health Services Telemedicine here. The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs released Telehealth guidance for their programs and providers here.

Questions, please contact Jack Phillips.

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Today Governor Wolf announced mitigation strategies to stop the spread of the Coronavirus (COVID-19), which include the statewide closures of day program facilities including Older Adult Day facilities licensed under 6 Pa. Code Chapter 11, Adult Training Facilities licensed under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2380, and Prevocational Facilities licensed under 55 Pa. Code Chapter 2390. Closures are effective Tuesday, March 17, 2020 and are in effect until further notice. ODP Announcement 20-022 provides further guidance regarding these closures and policy adaptations effective March 17, 2020.

Webinar – COVID-19: Update for CPS Providers, a webinar outlining the impact of COVID-19 on CPS Providers – will be presented by Deputy Secretary Ahrens tomorrow (March 17, 2020) at 1:30 pm and will be posted on the ODP Coronavirus (COVID-19) website within 3 hours. Use this registration link.

Facility-based Community Participation Support (CPS) providers are being asked to communicate with individuals, families, Supports Coordinators, and other providers to help ensure coordination of care.

ODP advises CPS providers of the following:

  • During the response to COVID-19, CPS may be provided in private homes.
  • ODP requests that providers arrange for in-home or alternate provision of the day service by facility staff when a service recipient’s family or caregiver is employed in essential roles like health care, first responders, or human services, and are reliant on the Community Participation Support day program for coverage during work.

For CPS providers who have residential, companion, or in-home support service offerings, prepare to redeploy staff from facilities to fill other essential staffing needs. Direct Support Professionals qualified under CPS may provide services in any other ODP service offering during the response to COVID-19. All staff must receive training on any participants’ ISPs for whom they are providing support. Training on the ISP must consist of basic health and safety support needs for that individual, including but not limited to the “Fatal Four.”

  • ODP encourages providers that only offer CPS to contact other provider agencies in your local area and develop cooperative arrangements to supply staff to support participants in other service areas like residential, companion, or in-home support.
  • For non-facility based CPS providers, please prepare to redeploy CPS staff to support essential supports for health and safety within your own agency or through cooperative agreements with other provider agencies.
  • ODP is working with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to allow “retainer payments” to be made to CPS providers. Additional guidance will be provided.
  • On-call and Remote Support services can be used to promote health and safety of CPS service recipients, when at home and not receiving another service. CPS providers should work with ISP Teams to coordinate details. Additional guidance will be provided.
  • Closures of facilities covered under this guidance do not need to be reported through the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) system.

See the list of Chapter 2380 and 2390 providers affected by county.

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