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ICF

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Message from Kevin Dressler, Bureau Director, DHS, Office of Developmental Programs:

Infection Control and Vaccination Status Survey
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has put together a short survey (23 questions) to gain an idea of the vaccination status of the people living in ICFs for COVID, Flu, and RSV, as well as to identify difficulties you may have or are currently experiencing with obtaining the vaccines. There is also a section within the survey discussing infection control and prevention. Please take the time to fill out the survey, as ODP will use the information to continue to look for ways to improve access and availability of vaccines and other health-related resources.

Several responded that the survey was not accessible. Participant restrictions have been removed this morning, so you should now be able to complete the survey here.

ICF Task Force Meeting
The next ICF Task Force meeting will be conducted in-person on April 18, from 10:00 am – 3:00 pm. We are planning to hold the meeting at the PaTTAN (Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network) building in Harrisburg. We plan to share ICF citation data from January 1, 2017 – December 31, 2023, as well as two trainings. The trainings will be “Plan of Correction Writing and Follow-up,” and training on “Active Treatment.” We will also have the DOH Long Term Care – RISE group provide a presentation on the services and supports they have to offer to ICFs. Lastly, we will have our typical updates from our finance staff, DOH, and ODP Medical Director. Please plan on attending. Updates will be provided as we get closer to the date of the meeting.

ICF Taskforce Meeting: Location
The ICF Taskforce Meeting on Thursday, April 18, 2024, will be held at the following address:

PaTTAN – Central
6340 Flank Drive
Harrisburg, PA 17112

Directions and nearby hotel accommodations can be found here.

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

ODP Announcement 22-009 states that, in an effort to implement best practices and streamline requirements and operations between Intermediate Care Facilities (ICF) and Home and Community-Based Setting (HCBS) service providers, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) intends to align incident management regulations and policies for ICFs with the already-existing regulations and policies for HCBS services.

Specifically, ODP plans to do the following:

  • Rescind the class 3 bulletin (statement of policy) that is currently codified at Pa. Code Chapter §§ 6000.901 — 6000.985 (relating to incident management) and issue a new class 3 bulletin that aligns with ODP Bulletin 00-21-02 (Incident Management for HCBS services) to the fullest extent possible.
  • Update Code Chapter 6600 to include new sections on definitions, incident management, and individual rights to align with the 55 Pa. Code Chapter 6100 regulations, to the fullest extent possible.

ODP is pleased to announce the release of the draft class 3 bulletin and the proposed 55 Pa. Code Chapter 6600 regulations for review and informal public comment in order to obtain meaningful input from stakeholders early on in the process of changing regulations. After the informal comment period ends, ODP will review and evaluate these comments, incorporating them when practical into the bulletin and regulations. The 30-day informal public comment period begins on February 2, 2022, and ends on March 4, 2022.

Interested persons are invited to submit written comments regarding the draft class 3 bulletin and Pa. Code Chapter 6600 regulations. Written comments should be addressed to Laura Cipriani, Department of Human Services, Office of Developmental Programs, 625 Forster Street, Room 510, Harrisburg, PA 17120. Comments may also be submitted to ODP via email using subject header “ICF Regulations.”

Questions about this communication should be directed to Laura Cipriani.

The Pennsylvania Department of Health (DOH) has released a Request for Applications (RFA) for the Long-Term Care Quality Investment Pilot, which will distribute approximately $11.7 million in federal funds to long-term care facilities, including skilled nursing facilities (SNFs), personal care homes (PCHs), assisted living facilities (ALFs), and intermediate care facilities (ICFs) for the purpose of building resilience. These funds are designed to be invested in key areas such as workforce development and retention, infection prevention control, emergency preparedness, and improvements to facility infrastructure.

Please note the following:

  • Facilities must be enrolled in the LTC RISE program’s quality improvement projects in order to be considered eligible for funding.
  • Facilities in Philadelphia are not eligible for this funding.

DOH encourages facilities to apply for this opportunity. The application deadline is 1:30 pm on December 31, 2022. Additional details and information can be found by here.

Questions about this funding opportunity should be addressed by submitting questions through the formal procurement process, which is detailed in the RFA.

Updates from the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) for Intermediate Care Facility (ICF) providers:

Please find the Instructions for the ID-46 Cost Report forms, which were emailed previously. Also available is a checklist for completion prior to submission.  A few items to note:

INSTRUCTIONS

  • PDF file contains a Table of Contents on page 2.
  • Document is organized into these major categories:
    • General Instructions/Regulations — Pages 3–4
    • Timing/Requirements for Submission — Pages 4–5
    • Overall Instructions for ID-46 Excel File — Pages 5–7
    • Detailed Instructions for Each Schedule — Pages 8–46
    • Submission Procedures — Pages 47–48
    • Post Submission Procedures — Pages 49–50
    • Appendices — Pages 51–73
  • Within Adobe Acrobat, if you click on the Bookmark symbol in the left margin, all headings throughout the document will appear in a list that is ‘clickable’ so you can jump directly to points of interest and minimize scrolling. An alternate method to display Bookmarks: View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Bookmarks.

CHECKLIST

  • May be completed by clicking on Blue fields within Adobe Acrobat.
  • Items required to be submitted with cost report, along with requested syntax for file names, are listed on pages 4 & 5.

All cost reports and supporting documentation must be submitted via email for FY 2021/22 by 9/30/2022 with:
Subject line: ‘Cost Report Submission – provider name’
To: ODP

If you encounter any problems or have any questions, please contact Pamela Gilbert or Steve Evitts.

Pamela S. Gilbert | Fiscal Manager
PA Department of Human Services | Office of Developmental Programs
Bureau of Financial Management and Program Support

Photo by Markus Winkler on Unsplash

Message From Kevin Dressler, Bureau Director, Office of Developmental Programs (ODP):

Some recent updates:

CMS 1135 Waiver Discontinuation

The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an update on April 7, 2022, that will discontinue many of the 1135 waiver components over the next 30 and 60 days. This Quality, Safety, and Oversight (QSO) update returns many of the identified items in the 1135 waiver to their previous regulatory statuses, and the ICFs will need to be in compliance with the changes by the date specified. Please review the QSO carefully and assure that your ICFs are compliant by the dates specified.

Health Alert Network Updates

I have attached the four latest HANs regarding COVID related items. HAN 633 and HAN 635 address facilities that are testing people in-house and the new reporting requirements. HAN 634 addresses treatment recommendations for people that have contracted COVID-19. Lastly, HAN 632 addresses who is eligible for the vaccine boosters. Please review the recent HANs and adjust your policies and practices as you deem appropriate.

Emergency Exercises

Please see ‘Orchid Phoenix 2022 TTX Registration,’ as it has the registration information for an upcoming Emergency Preparedness Exercise that is available for ICFs to participate in if you would like to do so. This is a similar type of exercise as we completed last year, with a different emergency event as the topic. Please review for details on registration and participation requirements.

Kevin Dressler | Bureau Director
Department of Human Services
Office of Developmental Programs
Bureau of State Operated Facilities
Room 508 Health & Welfare Bldg | Harrisburg, PA 17120
Office Phone: 717-425-5686
Cell Phone: 570-809-3759
Fax: 717-787-6583