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Authors Posts by Richard Edley

Richard Edley

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Dr. Richard Edley is the lead executive for RCPA and is responsible for all aspects of operations and direction for the association. His professional career began in 1988 and most recently he was president and CEO of PerformCare/Community Behavioral HealthCare Network of Pennsylvania, Inc., a national, full-service, behavioral health managed care organization.

On March 17, 2017, The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) announced the availability of classroom trainings for staff of Service Coordination (SC) Entities.

As a prerequisite to these classroom trainings, participants must have completed the three OLTL online SC modules available online, which provide a strong foundation for the basics needed to fulfill service coordination requirements.

The one-day, instructor-led classroom sessions will allow participants to take what they learned from the online modules and apply it to situations found every day on the job. Attendance at these sessions will be limited to SCs (not supervisors or directors) and to two participants per agency. Preference will be given to new SCs hired in 2016 and 2017. Additional registrations will be considered on a first-come, first-served basis.

There will be three, one-day instructor-led sessions held this spring (there will be additional trainings in other parts of the state later this year) which will run from 8:00 am to 4:30 pm each day, as follows:

The first training will be held in Harrisburg on Wednesday, April 5, 2017, at the PaTTAN Building, which is located at 6340 Flank Drive, Harrisburg, PA 17112 (717-541-4960). Addresses for the other trainings will be provided when established, and will be held in the following locations:

  • Bethlehem – May 3, 2017 – Location TBD
  • State College – June 6, 2017 – Location TBD

You must register in order to attend one of these sessions and complete the registration form. If you have questions about the training, please contact OLTL’s Bureau of Participant Operations at 717-787-8091.

On March 17, the Pennsylvania Department of the Treasury announced that the official launch of its PA Achieving a Better Life Experience (ABLE) Savings Program will occur on Monday, April 3, 2017, at a media and legislative event in the Capitol Rotunda at 12:30 pm. On that date, the PA Treasury ABLE program officially begins accepting accounts for enrollment and opens the door on hope for individuals with disabilities and the families who care for those loved ones. Kathleen F. McGrath, Esq., PA Savings Programs Director, invites stakeholders to join Treasurer Joe Torsella, US Senator Robert Casey, and PA Senator Lisa Baker as ABLE officially opens for business.

Pennsylvanians with eligible disabilities are about to receive the tools they need to build a sound fiscal future. ABLE accounts mean a new, fresh perspective on what living as a financially empowered individual can mean. A PA ABLE account gives individuals with qualified disabilities (Eligible Individuals), and their families and friends, a tax-free way to save for disability-related expenses, while maintaining government benefits. Federal and state law authorized the creation of PA ABLE accounts; additional information is available online.

The Pennsylvania Department of the Treasury welcomes the attendance of all stakeholders. Attendees are asked to RSVP with your name and the number you are bringing with you by March 30, 2017. Additional details will be provided to you once you RSVP your attendance.

Stakeholders are invited to share this information with anyone who has a stake in the successful launch of this new product. While program material will be available at the launch event, PA ABLE asks that requests for bulk material and outreach or speaking opportunities are sent by email. The more people who know about this program and what it means to be ABLE to look to living a secured future, the better.

In addition, PA ABLE invites stakeholders to share stories of those who are going to benefit from the ABLE account by contacting them by March 24, 2017. Ms. McGrath also invites stakeholders to follow the Twitter handle @PATreasury for the latest updates, and help drive the conversation with the hashtag #PAABLE.

Please join the Office of Long-term Living (OLTL) and the Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS) for an informational webinar on Community HealthChoices (CHC) on Friday, March 31, 2017 at 1:00 pm. The webinar will feature a presentation from OLTL’s Chief of Staff, Kevin Hancock. Kevin will provide an update on CHC, describe progress to date, and discuss next steps. There will be an opportunity for questions and answers at the end of the presentation.

Background on CHC
The commonwealth is in the process of implementing CHC. CHC is a mandatory managed care program for eligible individuals, providing physical health services and long-term services and supports, such as attendant care services. CHC is being geographically phased in across the commonwealth beginning in January of 2018 in 14 counties in southwestern Pennsylvania, followed in July 2018 by five counties in the southeastern portion of the commonwealth. The CHC implementation will be completed in January 2019, when the remaining counties are implemented. The move to CHC will assist DHS in continuing to provide quality services.  CHC managed care organizations will be required to coordinate covered services, Medicare, and behavioral health services for enrolled participants.

To register for the webinar, please follow this link. Once you have registered, you will receive a confirmation email containing connection information. Please note, the connection information you receive will be unique to you and should not be shared with others.

Reminder: All CHC-related information can be found here. Comments can be submitted electronically. If you have any questions, please contact the Office of Long-Term Living Bureau of Policy and Regulatory Management at 717-783-8412.

A listserv has been established for ongoing updates on the CHC program, titled OLTL-COMMUNITY-HEALTHCHOICES. If you would like to update or register your email address, please follow this link.

On February 23, 2017, the Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) released guidance to Home Care Agencies and Registries in follow-up to a policy clarification issued on November 23, 2016 regarding Direct Care Workers Non-Skilled Services in Home and Community-Based Services Settings.

The guidance includes a tool for organizations to use to comply with the Department of Health’s Home Care Agency and Registry regulations. The tool describes the consumer characteristics of individuals who can receive non-skilled activities/services, defined as Specialized Care. In addition, it describes the Home Care Agency/Registry responsibility for training and documentation of the direct care worker’s competency prior to delivering the Specialized Care. The guidance also establishes guidelines for the inclusion of Specialized Care into an individual’s care or service plan. RCPA’s policy statement in support of this clarification and guidance for expanded service options is available here.

Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Ted Dallas spoke at the RCPA Board of Directors meeting on February 22 regarding Governor Wolf’s proposal to consolidate four state health and human service agencies. If approved by the legislature, the plan would be launched on July 1, 2017.

Although the Secretary referenced approximately $90 million in savings from this process, he also affirmed that this “cannot be just about saving money.” Dallas remarked that time spent dealing with the bureaucracies as currently constructed takes time away from providing services, and so the goal is to eliminate redundancies.

RCPA members brought up key topics such as population health, licensing, and services for persons with co-existing conditions. When asked how this consolidation will affect addressing the opioid crisis, Secretary Dallas responded that the focus would be shifted to treating the whole person, rather than each individual condition.

The meeting concluded with the Secretary requesting ideas for continued efficiencies and how to ultimately better serve members. On the day of the Governor’s announcement, RCPA issued a statement expressing support for the proposal and committing to working with the administration to implement the plan in a smart and cost-effective manner.

On February 8, the Department of Human Services (DHS) Secretary Ted Dallas announced the availability of onboarding grant funds to help connect hospitals and ambulatory practices to the Authority’s Pennsylvania Patient & Provider Network, or P3N.

The P3N enables electronic health information exchange (eHIE) across the state through the connection of health care providers to health information organizations (HIO), and the participation of the HIOs in the P3N.

“These grants will assist providers in the efficient delivery of quality services to the individuals we serve across the commonwealth,” said DHS Secretary Ted Dallas. “As more providers participate, individuals will experience better coordination of care and a better quality of health care.”

The grant program, available to Pennsylvania HIOs to enable the connection of inpatient hospital/facilities and outpatient practice or other outpatient provider organizations participating in the Medicaid Electronic Health Records (EHR) Incentive Program, includes:

  • Up to $75,000 to connect each eligible inpatient hospital or other inpatient facility to an HIO;
  • Up to $35,000 to connect each eligible outpatient practice or other outpatient provider organization to an HIO; and
  • Up to $5,000 to enable other eligible providers that do not fit into the two categories above, but want to enable HIE participation and connect to an HIO via a portal.

Each eligible provider will connect via an HIO to the P3N.

Only a single award is permitted to any one hospital/facility or outpatient practice. The anticipated performance period for this grant runs through September 30, 2017.

The grant will:

  • Help providers deliver higher quality and more efficient care, particularly through better care coordination for patients covered by Medicaid;
  • Support provider participation in private-sector HIOs by offsetting connection costs;
  • Incentivize HIOs to join the P3N, a precondition for receiving funding;
  • Support rapid movement toward the participation in eHIE, and support various care reform efforts currently underway across the Commonwealth; and
  • Defray up-front costs for individual providers to join an HIO, thus helping to achieve meaningful use and satisfy obligations under the Medicaid EHR Incentive Program.

This program will be made possible through an $8.125 million grant from the federal Centers of Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS). Under the terms of the federal grant, CMS will provide 90 percent of the onboarding grant, with the remaining 10 percent funded by the Commonwealth. The grant applications and supporting materials are available online here.

(Information courtesy of DHS)

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This just in from the governor’s office:

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 30, 2017
View Online 

Governor Wolf Announces Plan to Create Department of Health and Human Services

Seeks to Improve Services and Benefits for Seniors, People with Intellectual and Physical Disabilities, and Those Suffering From Substance Use Disorder

Harrisburg, PA – Today, Governor Wolf announced his plan to create a Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) in his 2017-2018 budget in order to promote more effective collaboration and service delivery, enhance program effectiveness, and eliminate duplicative processes.

“This new department will streamline government and allow the commonwealth to deliver more effective services to seniors, individuals with intellectual and physical disabilities, and those suffering from a substance use disorder as well as promote the health and well-being of all Pennsylvanians,” said Governor Tom Wolf. “Over the past several months, I have worked closely with these four departments to break down silos and reimagine how we deliver critical services that will provide treatment to those suffering from substance use disorder, ensure children are receiving high quality services, and expand community-based opportunities for seniors. The creation of a new, unified Department of Health and Human Services will not result in any program cuts for Pennsylvanians, but will dramatically improve our ability to deliver services that will improve lives. “

The Departments of Aging (PDA), Drug and Alcohol Programs (DDAP), Health (DOH), and Human Services (DHS) have the same core mission: to improve public health and quality of life for all residents of the commonwealth. These four separate state agencies currently serve similar, and sometimes overlapping, populations.

Fighting Opioid Epidemic to Remain a Top Priority for New Integrated Agency
Governor Wolf has led the battle against the opioid and heroin epidemic and each of these agencies has been critical to this effort. Among many other initiatives, DOH launched a prescription drug monitoring program and has been raising awareness of the naloxone standing order, DDAP has led the effort to increase the availability of naloxone and drug take back boxes, DHS has created 45 centers of excellence to coordinate treatment for those suffering from substance use disorders, and PDA has led prescription drug take back efforts among the senior population encouraging proper use, storage, and disposal of unused prescription medications.

By creating an organization that is structurally better able to support and coordinate these efforts, individuals in desperate need of substance use disorder treatment will be able to access services through one agency with an integrated data and delivery system. The new HHS will serve as the single state authority for Medicaid, substance use, and mental health purposes enabling the commonwealth to maximize available federal dollars and offset state costs for staff and services. There will continue to be a cabinet-level position in Governor Wolf’s administration that will be dedicated to battling the opioid and heroin epidemic.

Delivering better services to those suffering from substance use disorder is just one example of the benefits realized through the creation of a new, unified department.

Senior Benefits and Programs Will Be Bolstered By Ease, Focus of Single Agency
Seniors will also have a single agency as their point of contact within state government to receive health and human services. Instead of receiving prescription assistance from PACE through PDA, applying for an aging waiver through DHS while seeking home and community-based services from PDA, finding where to dispose of unwanted or expired prescription drugs through DDAP, or searching for information on the quality of nursing homes through DOH, seniors would find the services they need through the Department of Health and Human Services. Furthermore, the creation of this department will have no impact on how lottery fund monies are used to support senior programs.

Reducing Complexity and Confusion for Seniors and Individuals with Disabilities
Currently, at least 21 separate services across the departments provide care for seniors and individuals with physical disabilities. The creation of the Department of Health and Human Services will eliminate the unnecessary duplication of effort and confusion among consumers and their families. The Wolf Administration is dedicated to continuing to provide the same quality services for seniors and individuals with disabilities and will dramatically improve the delivery of services like health screenings, programs to allow individuals to remain in their homes and communities, adult protective services, and home health care and housing supports, though the creation of this new department.

Reducing Red-Tape for Providers and Non-Profits Subject to Regulation
Currently, providers ranging from hospitals and child care centers to substance use treatment facilities and nursing homes are licensed by multiple agencies, many times for the provision of the exact same services. Requiring these businesses to subject themselves to multiple, duplicative inspections and audits costs them money. By centralizing facility licensure in one agency we will improve coordination, increase transparency, and promote uniformity for the health and human services field. The state and providers will be able to better focus our resources on our mission to improve the health and quality of life for citizens rather than back office functions.

In 2015, the administration transferred the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) from the Department of Insurance to DHS. Through this consolidation, the administration has increased the number of kids covered by 10 percent, shortened the average processing time for applications from 40 days to only one day, and saved taxpayers $8 million annually. Additionally, this consolidation resulted in an improved customer experience as many families move between the two programs on a regular basis due to income guidelines. In the same way, combining the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) and Women, Infants and Children (WIC) program will result in improved outcomes, shortened application timelines and cost savings to taxpayers.

“Responding to the diverse and sometimes complex needs of older Pennsylvanians often requires interaction with multiple state agencies which can be confusing and incredibly frustrating,” said PDA Secretary Osborne. “The opportunity to create a single, unified, Department of Health and Human Services will reduce fragmentation, eliminate silos, promote accountability, and create a culture of shared responsibility that puts Pennsylvanians first.”

“By working together under Governor Wolf’s leadership, this administration has saved lives by expanding access to naloxone, combatted the stigma of the disease of addiction, and has raised awareness of the severity of this crisis. However, our work is not done,” said Department of Drug and Alcohol Acting Secretary Jennifer Smith. “The creation of the Department of Health and Human Services will help us continue this fight in a collaborative, coordinated manner.”

“The health of all Pennsylvanians is first and foremost to the Wolf Administration,” said Secretary of Health Dr. Karen Murphy. “Consolidating state agencies into one new agency while improving services for Pennsylvanians is not only fiscally responsible, but will ensure that we can continue to meet their needs. The Department of Health team looks forward to working with our sister agencies on the consolidation plan to ensure that Pennsylvanians continue to receive needed services.”

“Consolidation puts the focus where it always should be — on the consumer,” said Secretary of Human Services Ted Dallas. “The Governor’s plan to create HHS will result in a more streamlined and cost-effective agency that delivers better services for Pennsylvania.”

The goal of the Department of Health and Human Services will be to deliver services that will improve the health and quality of life for all Pennsylvanians in an efficient, transparent, and uniform manner.

MEDIA CONTACT:    J.J. Abbott, 717.783.1116

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RCPA is pleased to announce that it has recently formed a new division called the Physical Disabilities and Aging Division. This division has been created to support and provide information and networking opportunities to long-term services and support organizations including Personal Assistance Services Providers (PAS) and Service Coordination Entities (SCE) as well as other RCPA agencies/organizations providing services to these populations.

The first quarterly Physical Disabilities and Aging Division meeting will be held on Monday, February 27, 2017, at 10:00 am. This meeting will feature updates regarding Community HealthChoices (CHC) and representatives from all three selected managed care organizations (MCOs) will be in attendance: AmeriHealth Caritas, Pennsylvania Health and Wellness (Centene), and UPMC for You. The Office of Long Term Living (OLTL) has also been invited.

This is an exciting development for RCPA and its members and we look forward to seeing you. Register here for this meeting.

For hotel accommodations, contact the Best Western Premier, 800-780-7234 — be sure to mention RCPA to take advantage of our local negotiated rate at $102.95 plus taxes, including a $10 food voucher per room.