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Tags Posts tagged with "Office of Developmental Programs"

Office of Developmental Programs

ODP Announcement 21-084 announces that the renewal of the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) was approved by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) on November 18, 2021. As communicated in ODP Announcement 21-067, the renewal of the AAW has no substantive changes from the previously approved waiver.

The renewal was submitted with no substantive changes because some previously proposed changes to the AAW conflicted with the requirements of Section 9817 of the American Rescue Plan Act and CMS guidance that was published in May of 2021. The renewal is effective July 1, 2021, and can be found on the DHS website.

Because the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) is not making the changes it originally planned to the AAW, ODP will not be implementing the proposed rates published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin on May 22, 2021. Any new proposed changes to rates will be published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin for a public comment period prior to implementation.

ODP Announcement 21-082 announces the release of the Quality Assessment and Improvement (QA&I) Annual Statewide Report for Fiscal Year 2020–2021. The report provides QA&I review results of AEs, SCOs, and Providers and includes a summary analysis of statewide data collected during Interim Year 1 (IY1) of the QA&I cycle for the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), Community Living, and Adult Autism waivers.

The report highlights successes and opportunities for systemic quality improvement discovered during QA&I reviews in a streamlined, easy-to-use format. Key results are underscored in entity-specific subsections entitled “Reasons to Celebrate” and “Highlighting Opportunities.” The intent of the latter is to encourage entities to target these low performing areas with quality improvement activities.

ODP Announcement 21-083 provides some guidance to providers when determining whether an event involving staff employed by the provider constitutes alleged neglect in accordance with the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP) regulations such that it must be reported as an incident in the Enterprise Incident Management (EIM) system. This announcement also provides guidance about applying regulatory requirements related to complaint management when an event does not require reporting as an incident of alleged neglect.

When alleged neglect is reported for events that do not meet the criteria, it compromises ODP’s ability to identify and act on events that do constitute neglect or an allegation of neglect. When an event does not meet such criteria, providers should address and manage the event as a complaint in accordance with applicable regulatory requirements. A report of alleged neglect should not be filed when a service was not rendered due to the absence of direct care staff and the absence did not place the individual at a health or safety risk. In this circumstance, a provider should follow their complaint management process as opposed to filing a reportable incident.

For more information regarding compliant management and incident reporting, see ODP Announcement 21-083.

Image by Werner Moser from Pixabay

ODP Announcement 21-080 is to inform all interested parties of the availability of the public comment webinar recordings regarding proposed changes to the Consolidated, Community Living, Person/Family Directed Support (P/FDS), and Adult Autism Waivers with an anticipated effective date of January 1, 2022.

The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) held three webinars to discuss proposed changes to the Consolidated, Community Living, P/FDS, and Adult Autism Waivers and to obtain public comment on the proposed changes. The following webinars were recorded and are now available online along with the PowerPoint presentations utilized:

  • Consolidated, Community Living, and P/FDS Waiver webinar held November 4, 2021; and
  • Adult Autism Waiver webinar held November 3, 2021.

Photo by Tai's Captures on Unsplash

ODP Announcement 21-077 provides updated guidance to providers of ICF/ID services related to infection control procedures and mitigation of the spread of COVID-19. This guidance replaces the DHS COVID-19 Provider Guidance on COVID-19 for Personal Care Homes, Assisted Living Residences, and Private Intermediate Care Facilities with the following guidance from the Pennsylvania Department of Health (PA DOH) and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) as well as any future replacements of the referenced guidance from the PA DOH and CMS.

This announcement and the guidance contained within is intended to supplement—not replace—any federal, state, or local public health and safety laws, rules, and regulations with which providers of services in ICF/IDs must comply. Providers should take an individualized approach to determining appropriate risk mitigation strategies when working with individuals, including consideration of the Level of Community Transmission as identified in the CDC COVID Data Tracker.


Other news for ICF/ID Providers:

ICF Task Force Meetings

November 2 had been proposed earlier this year as a tentative date for another ICF Task Force meeting. That meeting is being rescheduled for a later date. Please let the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) know if you have any specific topic suggestions that you would like to have covered. You may submit suggestions here.

PA Health Alert Network (HANs)

This is a reminder to stay tuned in to the PA Department of Health’s updates impacting Long-Term Care facilities. Recent HANs contain updated information regarding the SARS-CoV-2 Delta Variant and recommendations regarding COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Dose. A list of the 2021 Health Alerts, Advisories and Updates can be found here.

ODP Announcement 21-076 announces the release of the Office of Developmental Programs’ (ODP’s) Annual Waiting List report. The waiting list is comprised of individuals who are eligible to receive services and supports through ODP’s four home and community-based services (HCBS) waivers; however, due to insufficient waiver capacity, the state cannot currently meet their needs.

In this report, you’ll find information regarding ODP’s strategies and initiatives to address the problem. The report also demonstrates the progress that has been made since 2015 to reduce the number of individuals on the waiting list. The Annual Waiting List Report 2021 is located online at MyODP.

ODP Announcement 21-075 provides information regarding a new webcast for members of Human Rights Teams (HRT) and Human Rights Committees: “Making A Determination.” With the release of Bulletin 00-21-01 Guidance for Human Rights Teams and Human Rights Committees, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) released a 4-part webcast series titled “Human Rights in Depth” to provide information and support for stakeholders involved in implementing the guidance and requirements related to individual rights and restrictive procedures.

The four webcasts, which are available on MyODP, provide detailed discussion regarding the responsibilities to inform, the strategies to support people to exercise their rights, the ability to make a determination, and human rights teams and human rights committees. Following up on those webcasts, ODP is now offering members of HRTs and HRCs webinar training to delve more deeply into the process of “MAKING A DETERMINATION.”

Use the following link to register. A demographics information form and training confirmation will need to be completed before the registration link will become available.