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Authors Posts by Jim Sharp

Jim Sharp

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RCPA member and partner Eleos are known for their market-leading AI-powered solutions. Now they’ve taken their documentation solution to the next level — and they want you to see what the buzz is about!

Join Eleos and Hillsides leaders as they debut the all-new Documentation experience at their Spring Launch Event on June 5 at 12:00 pm EST. This 1-hour webinar will kick off with a look at the reimagined Documentation experience, which features:

  • Seamless live session capture with embedded audio, eliminating the need for third-party tools or hardware;
  • Compatibility with over 150 languages, supporting a more diverse provider and client population;
  • Coverage of virtually any 1:1 session type, including psychiatry, intake, and assessments; and
  • Offline mobile access, so providers can document anytime, anywhere — even without internet connection.

Hillsides was one of 150+ organizations that shaped the new Documentation experience, and you will hear firsthand from leaders in client services, IT, and administration how Hillsides is using Eleos to:

  • Alleviate administrative burden and staff burnout;
  • Drive clinical, financial, and operational efficiency; and
  • Achieve measurable ROI.

Register here for this exciting event today. By registering, you will ensure receipt of a recording if you cannot make it to the live event.

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Image by Dirk Wouters from Pixabay

The PA Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Children, Youth and Families (OCYF) has issued a bulletin on the Draft Needs-Based Plan and Budget Guidelines for FY 2026/27. OCYF is seeking comment and feedback to be sent electronically by June 14. The subject of the email should state “Draft NBPB Comments.”

If your organization submits comments regarding this bulletin, please copy RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp on your responses. For members of the RCPA Children’s Residential Services Committee, please contact Emma Sharp for thoughts or guidance that will be included in the RCPA Bulletin Comments.

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As a follow up to the recent Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF) Regulatory Forum on May 21, 2025, OMHSAS has released the following slide deck of the presentation. The forum presented an opportunity to review OMHSAS’ response and changes to the public feedback from the proposed PRTF regulations that were released last fall.

The RCPA PRTF Review Group is reconvening to review the changes as well as responses to recommendations that are still pending for review. Additionally, we will be working to create a cost analysis for the implementation of these proposed regulations as they stand currently. The state is proposing a cost analysis 90 days after promulgation, but with the uncertainty in Federal Medicaid, and the state’s proposed capitation increase, the potential challenges of those fiscal benchmarks indicate a cost analysis could better inform all systems stakeholders on the financial implications of implementation.

We will be reaching out to our PRTF Review Group this week for next steps, and if any members are interested in our Children’s Residential Services Committee or PRTF Review Group, please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.

Also if you have any feedback or comments on the OMHGSAS PRTF Forum, they can be submitted via email.

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RCPA invites members to participate in the Mental Health Safety Net Coalition meeting on Friday, May 30, 2025, from 10:00 am – 11:00 am. Members can participate via Teams; information on how to join can be found below.

The Coalition is open to all stakeholder groups, and we encourage members to participate in these efforts of joint advocacy in protecting and preserving our mental health service delivery system. This meeting will review and discuss the critical areas of funding for the 2025/26 budget, including county mental health, school-based services, psychiatric centers, and our Behavioral HealthChoices system, along with ongoing advocacy for the preservation of Federal Medicaid. If you would like to join the coalition or have any questions, please contact RCPA Policy Associate Emma Sharp.

Microsoft Teams Need help?
Join the meeting now
Meeting ID: 245 992 905 070 9
Passcode: 4eF9M8Sp

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+1 689-206-0441,,595808722# United States, Orlando
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Phone conference ID: 595 808 722#

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Last year, RCPA met with its provider members regarding the provision of group psychotherapy services via telehealth in the client’s home. RCPA then met with the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) to discuss the possibility of allowing this flexibility in an effort to fully realize the use of telehealth technology to enhance access.

Today, the Department of Human Services’ Medical Assistance (MA) Bulletin #99-25-02 outlines revisions to the MA fee schedule. The following changes are specific to behavioral services and are effective May 1, 2025:

  • Procedure code 99452 (Interprofessional Services) is now open for provider type (PT)/Specialty combination 08/184 (Outpatient Drug and Alcohol).
  • Place of Service (POS) 10 — Telehealth Provided in Patient’s Home is now available to use with the procedure code 90853 (group psychotherapy) for PT/Specialty combination 08/110 (Psychiatric Outpatient).

Please see the section titled “Behavioral Health Services” on page 6 of the bulletin for additional information related to these revisions.

If you have questions about these changes, please reach out to OMHSAS electronically or RCPA COO and Policy Director Jim Sharp.

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RCPA, in partnership with the National Council for Mental Wellbeing, requested that Governor Shapiro proclaim May as Mental Health Awareness Month in Pennsylvania. RCPA received the following proclamation from the Governor’s office, and we thank Governor Shapiro, his administration, providers, and systems stakeholders for their commitment to serving this vulnerable population.

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The Office of Child Development and Early Learning (OCDEL) has released the outcomes from the Early Intervention (EI) Rate Methodology Study that concluded in the Fall of 2024. A key focus of the RCPA Early Intervention Steering Committee’s strategic agenda has been the review of how rates have been historically developed, including the lack of sustainable rate increases that have taken place over the past two decades. In our collaboration with OCDEL and other early intervention stakeholders, the goal was the development of a quantifiable rate methodology that uses the cost of care as a driving variable in the rate development matrix.

The EI Rate Study Final Report has been added to DHS website and can be viewed here. The study was the culmination of a year-long effort led the Public Consulting Group (PCG) and an Advisory Committee, which RCPA and other provider members were a part of.

The report reviewed the methodology and formulary variables for rate calculations across several operational dimensions of early intervention services, including staffing, operations, administration, and the calculation of how missed and cancelled visits intersect with actual costs.

The final funding review of the estimated Commonwealth fiscal impact was calculated using the number of service units provided during FY 2022/23 for Early Intervention services, current Federal Medical Assistance Percentage (FMAP), and county contributions. Services with a recommended rate decrease were kept at the current rate when calculating Commonwealth fiscal impact. The result indicated that for FY 2022/23, the rates were underfunded by more than $71M, or roughly 38% of the FY 2022/23 rate.

This year there is a proposed State budget increase of $10M that is targeted to aid Early Intervention providers in stabilizing their workforce infrastructure. This would be a 3% increase over the FY 2023/24 rate. There was no rate increase last year in anticipation of the rate methodology study report. There was hope that the study outcomes, which ended in September 2024, could have made a greater impact on this year’s projected rate increase. That notwithstanding, RCPA fully supports and will be advocating that the proposed $10M funding allocation be approved for Early Intervention services in the final budget. Additionally, there is a projected Medicaid allocation of $12.6M, for a total $22.6M that will go to the final rates for FY 2025/26.

Finally, the report indicated that between the periodic rate studies, PCG recommends that OCDEL implement a rate monitoring program to measure costs annually against payments. This monitoring should also measure inflation, and OCDEL should adjust rates annually to match the rate of inflation.

RCPA thanks OCDEL and our members for the partnership in the project and looks forward to the opportunity to work together in supporting and advocating the implementation of rates that support the cost of delivering high quality Early Intervention services to the children and families of the Commonwealth.

If you have any additional questions, please contact RCPA COO Jim Sharp or IPRC Policy Director Cindi Hobbes.

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