Home Care
Last week, the National Association for Home Care and Hospice (NAHC) filed a lawsuit against the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services…
HHAeXchange Shares EVV Updates
June 5, 2023As follow up from questions received during the Annual Conference, HHAeXchange is sharing the following updates to PHA members. Home Health MCO Implementations HHAeXchange and the MCOs are continuing to…
On May 15, 2023, the Office of Medical Assistance Programs (OMAP) issued a Managed Care Operations Memo (MCOPS Memo) to the Physical HealthChoices Managed Care Organizations (PH-MCOs) to restate and update…
CMS Releases Findings from Technical Expert Panel, Listening Sessions on Hospice Special Focus Program Development
May 8, 2023As part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2021 (CAA), Congress enacted significant changes to the hospice survey process, including a Special Focus Program (SFP) for poor performing hospice providers….
On April 27, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) released two proposed regulations that would significantly impact Medicaid programs, if finalized. Ensuring Access to Medicaid Services Proposed…
Recently, PHA has heard from members regarding discrepancies in EVV-related compliance reports available to providers and the MCOs. PHA reached out to HHAeXchange and the managed care organizations, and on…
PHA CEO Highlights Importance of Medicaid Program, Advocates for Additional Support at PA Capitol
May 1, 2023Last week, PHA’s CEO participated in a legislative information briefing at the Capitol. PHA joined fellow members of the PA Provider Advocacy Coalition to provide an overview of the Medicaid…
Last week, the Office of Developmental Programs released the Quality Assessment & Improvement (QA&I) Individual Interviews Report for Interim Year 1 (FY 20-21) and Interim Year 2 (FY 21-22). The report provides…
On Friday, the Department of Human Services held an EVV Public Meeting that included program updates for both personal care services (PCS) and home healthcare services (HHCS). The full slide deck…
On March 15, 2023, the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission (MedPAC) issued its March 2023 Report to the Congress: Medicare Payment Policy. As part of its annual report, MedPAC included the following home health and hospice recommendations:
Last week, PHA received confirmation from the Department of Human Services (DHS) Office of Long-Term Living that the 2023 Community HealthChoices Amendment has been approved by the Centers for Medicare…
On March 6, the Department of Human Services (DHS) issued a Request for Information (RFI) seeking stakeholder feedback on the Community HealthChoices (CHC) program. DHS will use the feedback to evaluate opportunities…
OLTL Updates Critical Incident Management Bulletin
March 13, 2023Last week, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) distributed its updated Critical Incident Management Bulletin, effective February 23, 2023. The bulletin is intended to clarify the definition of critical incidents and provide…
UPMC Updates Policy on Use of Consumer Cell Phones
March 13, 2023As reported in last week’s Connections, the Department of Human Services (DHS) addressed the use of consumer cell phones for EVV at the March MLTSS meeting, clarifying that DHS does not have…
ODP Issues Reports on Annual Data, Waiting Lists
March 13, 2023Last week, the Office of Developmental Programs (ODP) issued two reports:
At last week’s Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) Committee meeting, the Department of Human Services (DHS) clarified that the Department does not have a policy related to the use…
ODP Issues Guidance on New Report Supports Requirements
February 20, 2023Last week, the Office of Developmental Programs issued additional guidance on the requirements for the new Remote Supports service definition approved in the Consolidated, Person/Family Directed Support, and Community Living…
Beginning on May 1, 2023, claim and eligibility-specific calls received in the Provider Contact Center (PCC) will need to be properly authenticated by the Computer Telephony Integration (CTI) system prior to speaking…
2023 Community HealthChoices Agreement Now Available
February 6, 2023The 2023 Community HealthChoices Agreement between the Department of Human Services (DHS) and the CHC MCOs is now available. Changes and clarifications include the following:
On January 19, PHA CEO Teri Henning was asked to participate in CMS’s quarterly EVV Learning Collaborative. In the meeting, attended by approximately 200 state Medicaid directors and stakeholders, CMS…
Members Ask; PHA Answers: HHAeXchange Edition
January 30, 2023“Allow Shift Overlap” Disabled, Re-enabled Earlier this month, PHA members reached out with concerns about the “Allow Shift Overlap” feature being disabled on HHAeXchange for service codes W1793 and T1005,…
Last week, PHA partnered with HHAeXchange for a 90-minute Q&A session just for members! During this session, HHA answered member questions on:
PHA Survey on DCW Overnight Check-ins: The Results Are In!
January 30, 2023Thank you to those members who responded to PHA’s survey on overnight check-in policies for caregivers. 40 agencies responded, representing more than 125 locations. Summary results are on these slides and below.
OLTL Updates Monthly Data Dash
January 16, 2023The Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has posted its November 2022 Data Dash, providing a snapshot on statewide participation in OLTL waiver programs as of October 2022. The report includes…
As previously reported, last month the Independent Regulatory Review Commission (IRRC) voted to approve the final-form regulation allowing providers enrolled in the Medical Assistance (MA) program to co-locate. Last week,…
DHS Issues Bulletin Reinstating Provider Enrollment Requirements in February + Remember to Revalidate!
January 9, 2023On December 29, 2022, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) issued a Bulletin reinstating provider enrollment requirements that were temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 public health emergency (PHE).
