2024-02
National Caregivers Day: 10 Award Winners Announced!
February 26, 2024National Caregivers Day celebrates the dedication of caregivers by acknowledging their commitment to their clients. On Friday, PHA held a drawing to award 10 caregivers a $50 gift card, recognizing…
Recommendations Released to Improve Coordination of Care, Services for Children and Young Adults with Complex Needs
February 26, 2024The Shapiro Administration has unveiled a report containing recommendations aimed at enhancing the coordination of care and services for children and young adults facing complex needs. This initiative, led by the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS),…
CMS Releases Updated Medicaid Telehealth Toolkit
February 26, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released an updated version of the Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program Telehealth Toolkit on February 8. The toolkit articulates the policies…
OLTL Presents at MAAC: 2024 Priorities and Annual Redeterminations
February 26, 2024On Thursday, February 22, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) presented its 2024 priorities at the Medical Assistance Advisory Committee (MAAC) meeting. Deputy Secretary, Juliet Marsala, talked about strengthening the…
ODP Supports HCBS Providers: Proposes Recruitment/Retention One Time Payment, Rate Increases, and Waiver Capacity Expansion
February 26, 2024The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) proposed a waiver amendment that includes a one-time supplemental payment to support providers with recruitment and retention. Following a recent comment period, ODP is…
ODPANN 21:046 Reissue & Correction
February 26, 2024The Office of Developmental Programs posted a correction for ODPANN 21:046, Process for 180-Day and 365-Day Timely Filing Edits: Exception and Special Handling Requests. Specifically, the mailbox for submitting claims for special…
Change Healthcare Experiencing Cyberattack: HHAeXchange Puts Cautionary Hold on Claims
February 26, 2024UnitedHealth Group’s Change Healthcare, which is one of the largest health care technology companies in the United States, Feb. 21 was hit with a cyberattack that began disrupting a number…
February 2024 Refresh Now Live on Hospice Care Compare
February 26, 2024The February 2024 quarterly refresh for the Hospice Quality Reporting Program is now available on Care Compare. Publicly reported hospice quality data, including the Hospice Item Set, CAHPS Survey Family Caregiver…
MLN Matters: Hospices Required to Report All Managing Employees
February 26, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) recently clarified that hospice medical directors and administrators are always considered managing employees for Medicare provider enrollment purposes. You must report all…
SBA Announces PPP Loan Forgiveness
February 19, 2024The Small Business Administration (SBA) recently announced an extension of the deadline for certain Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) borrowers, which holds significance for numerous entrepreneurs and small business proprietors. Specifically,…
Member Benefit Spotlight: NEW Form for Member Questions
February 19, 2024We are excited to introduce a new form for member questions, which helps streamline your inquiries and enhance member support! Our team guarantees a response within 48 hours, offering direct…
Social Security Publishes Proposed Rule for Payroll Information Exchange to Reduce Improper Payments
February 19, 2024Last week, the Social Security Administration (SSA) published a proposed rule, Use of Electronic Payroll Data to Improve Program Administration, which outlines plans for accessing and using information from payroll…
New Reports Highlight Impact of ARPA Funding on HCBS
February 19, 2024Advancing States and the ARPA HCBS TA Collective have released a new report that summarizes the impact of American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding on home and community-based services. This report highlights…
On February 8, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) released a proposed rule, Medicare Program: Strengthening Oversight of Accrediting Organizations and Preventing Accrediting Organization Conflict of Interest, and Related Provisions….
Guest Column: Why Employee Benefits Matter
February 19, 2024As most company leaders and workers can attest, employee benefits play a critical role in the long-term success for businesses of all sizes. A comprehensive and well put together compensation…
PHA Participates in Senate Majority Policy Committee Hearing on Rural Health Care Challenges
February 19, 2024The Senate Majority Policy Committee held a public hearing about rural health care on Wednesday, Feb. 14. Public Policy Committee member and Vice President of Redstone@Home, Geoff Gehring, testified on PHA’s behalf. The goal of…
U.S. Senators Express Concerns about Medicaid Access Rule
February 19, 2024Eleven Senate Republicans sent the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid (CMS) a letter expressing concerns about the Medicaid Access rule its consequences on February 15. The letter recommends that CMS: On…
Lunch and Learn Recap: RFA for Managed Care Organizations in Community HealthChoices
February 19, 2024On Friday, PHA hosted a Lunch and Learn to discuss the 500+ page document. Mia Haney, CEO, identified important CHC Agreement terms and potential changes that can affect PAS providers. Members…
Fraud Waste and Abuse Reporting
February 19, 2024A CHC-MCO must inform all network providers of the Pennsylvania Medical Assistance (MA) Provider Self-Review Protocol, which allows providers to voluntarily disclose overpayments or improper payments of MA funds. This…
Expanded HHVBP Model: January 2024 Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) Are Available on iQIES
February 19, 2024Home health agencies (HHAs) can now access their January Preliminary Interim Performance Reports (IPRs) for the expanded Home Health Value-Based Purchasing (HHVBP) Model in iQIES. The quarterly IPRs provide HHAs…
ODP Announcement 24-021: ISAC Annual Report for 2023 Is Published
February 19, 2024Members of the Information Sharing and Advisory Committee (ISAC), working with the PA Office of Developmental Programs (ODP), developed a series of recommendations and strategies to support the achievement of…
Hospice Preview Reports for the May 2024 Refresh Now Available
February 19, 2024Providers can now access the latest Provider Preview Reports via the Certification and Survey Provider Enhanced Reports (CASPER) application. Once released in CASPER, providers will have 30 days during which…
Notice: Hospice Item Set Manual Update
February 19, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicate Services has updated the Hospice Item Set (HIS) Manual to remove COVID-19 public health emergency references, revise the Annual Payment Update (APU) penalty to reflect the…
CMS Fact Sheet: Hospice Comprehensive Assessment Measure
February 19, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services recently shared a Fact Sheet for the Hospice Comprehensive Assessment Quality Measure. The document provides clarification on the measure and guidance on how to calculate…
CMS Issues RFI on Medicare Advantage Data Collection
February 12, 2024The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) has issued a request for information (RFI) seeking input from the public regarding various aspects of Medicare Advantage (MA) data. Feedback from stakeholders to…
PHA partners with Community Health Accreditation Partner, Inc. (CHAP), which accredits home and community-based health care organizations and has “deeming” authority granted by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services,…
Governor Shapiro Delivers Fiscal Year 2024–25 Budget Address
February 12, 2024On Tuesday, Feb. 6, Governor Josh Shapiro unveiled his budget for the 2024–25 fiscal year, which begins on July 1, in a joint session of the House and Senate earlier…
PHA’s Budget Press Statement
February 12, 2024Mia Haney, CEO of the Pennsylvania Homecare Association, issued a statement on Tuesday, February 6, in response to Governor Shapiro’s budget proposal. Haney called on the governor and the General…
2021 Data Now Available for the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook
February 5, 2024CMS has added the annual update to the Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) Chartbook with data for 2021. The MCBS Chartbook provides the public with an interactive collection of charts and tables…
Governor Supports Workforce; Calls for PAS Rate Study
February 5, 2024On Friday February 9, 2024, the Department of Human Services held a stakeholder presentation led by Secretary Valerie Arkoosh regarding the Governor’s recent budget which included an important call to…
The Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) has partnered with the National Association of State Directors of Developmental Disabilities Services (NASDDDS) and the Human Services Research Institute (HSRI) to administer the…
Requalification Reminders for ODP Waiver Providers
February 5, 2024As a reminder, all Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) waiver providers and vendors whose last digit of their Master Provider Index (MPI) number is 0, 1, or 2, as well…
Advocacy in Action: PHA Outlines 2024 Funding Need for Pa. Progressive Caucus Members
February 5, 2024On February 1, PHA Members Laura Ness from Bayada Hearts for Home for Home Care, CJ Weaber from Honor Health Network, and Teri Henning from Aveanna Healthcare, along with Alex…
Participant Directed Workgroup
February 5, 2024A workgroup of 40 people has been developed to determine why participant direction has seen a reduction of over 5,000 people since 2019. Their work should conclude in March with…
Governor Shapiro to Deliver Second Budget Address
February 5, 2024Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro is set to share insights on his year two agenda during the 2024 budget address on Feb. 6. Early indications point to a prioritization of senior…
As a reminder, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) rules require most employers to keep a record of serious work-related injuries and illnesses. The amended rule requires health care employers to electronically submit information…
Community HealthChoices Request for Application (RFA) Released
February 5, 2024The Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) announced on January 30, that they are seeking to procure the services of managed care organizations (MCOs) to operate the Community HealthChoices (CHC)…
Kaiser Family Foundation Issue Brief
February 5, 2024Kaiser Family Foundation published an issue brief on Jan. 22 titled “Medicaid and State Financing: What to Watch in Upcoming State Budget Debates” that takes a national look at state…
The long-term services and supports (LTSS) subcommittee met on Thursday, Feb. 1. This was the first meeting since the Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee (MLTSS) transitioned to the Long-Term…
CGS: Avoid CERT No Documentation Errors
February 5, 2024CGS has identified an increase in the number of Comprehensive Error Rate Testing (CERT) reviews that receive No Documentation errors. The CERT Review Contractor assigns the No Documentation error category…
2024 HHCAHPS Survey Training Materials Have Been Posted
February 5, 2024The agenda and slides for the self-paced 2024 Introduction to the Home Health Care CAHPS (HHCAHPS) Survey training and the HHCAHPS Survey Vendor Update training are now posted under the…
In case you haven’t checked out the Office of Long-Term Living’s monthly data dash recently, the report now includes a breakdown of Community HealthChoices enrollment by county, as well as…
On January 26, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) forwarded the final Medicaid Access Rule (CMS-2442-F) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for the last review…
HHAeXchange (HHAX) Includes Authorization Due Date
February 5, 2024HHAX Engineering is actively working to upgrade their environment for providers on the free portal to make it easier and faster to push enhancements to providers using the portal. HHAX…
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