2024-10
Mission Moment: Tom Rose, 21st Century Consultants
October 20, 2024Thomas Rose’s mission moment stems from his father-in-law’s illness and need for home care after heart surgery. As his condition worsened, they moved from personal care to skilled care, allowing…
PHA Legislation for Remote Interviewing of DCWs Signed Into Law
October 20, 2024On October 16th, Governor Shapiro signed HB 155 into law, officially becoming Act 96 of 2024. Act 96 allows the use of remote video technology for conducting direct care worker…
OLTL CHC Waiver Renewal Considers FBI Fingerprinting Requirement
October 20, 2024Earlier this year, the Office of Long-Term Living proposed language for the Community HealthChoices Waiver renewal and additionally for an OBRA Waiver Amendment. Included in the proposed changes is a…
Aging Adults Influence on Pennsylvania Voting Results
October 20, 2024In the last election, more than 60% of those who voted were 50+ years old. Candidates in upcoming elections must listen to this booming population to make sure they are…
October 23 OAPSA Hearing: PHA Comments on FBI Fingerprinting Requirement for All Hires
October 20, 2024Background: In Peake v. Commonwealth of Pennsylvania (2015), the Pennsylvania Commonwealth Court ruled that the lifetime employment ban imposed by the Older Adults Protective Services Act (OAPSA) for individuals with…
The national spotlight has recently focused on the home care industry. Vice President Kamala Harris last week released her plan to expand Medicare coverage to home care under her “Medicare…
Business Solutions Spotlight: Train English Learners to Become Home Aides with Vizulingo
October 20, 2024Staffing shortages continue to challenge Pennsylvania’s home healthcare agencies. For a limited time, Vizulingo is offering a unique pilot program designed to address this issue by attracting non-native English speakers…
Regional Meetings: Now Headed to Philadelphia!
October 20, 2024The recent Regional Meetings in Cranberry Township and our Virtual session were a resounding success! With over 150 attendees across both events, we saw excellent participation and engagement from our…
Introducing the first-of-its-kind Homecare Benchmarking report, presented by Caribou, PHA, and HHAeXchange
October 20, 2024In the ever-evolving homecare industry, understanding key performance metrics is crucial for agencies to thrive and provide the highest quality of care. To support Pennsylvania’s home care agencies, the Pennsylvania…
PHA is proud to introduce Bringing Care Home, a new bi-monthly newsletter designed for Direct Care Workers, Nurses, Therapists, Home Health Aides and all field staff across Pennsylvania’s home based…
Pennsylvania Department of Aging Caregiver Toolkit Input Survey – FORWARD TO YOUR CAREGIVERS
October 20, 2024Caregivers played a crucial role in developing Aging Our Way, PA, and they remain a key priority in transforming the aging experience in the Commonwealth. Through more than 200 listening sessions,…
Are You FLSA Compliant with Travel Time, Break Time, and Off Duty Time? Turn on this HHAeXchange Feature!
October 20, 2024Consider this scenario: A home care worker has a 30-minute gap between two clients. It takes them 15 minutes to travel between the two cases. You already know that the…
Order 4 FREE COVID Tests for Your Family
October 20, 2024The Administration for Strategic Preparedness and Response (ASPR), an agency within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, in collaboration with the U.S. Postal Service has reopened COVIDtests.gov so…
In order to gather responses from providers that were not able to submit previously, the Office of Long-Term Living (OLTL) has re-opened the Calendar Year (CY) 2023 rate study survey…
CMS Issues Change Request to Allow Home Health Telehealth Services During Inpatient Stays
October 20, 2024On October 10, 2024, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued Change Request 13812 to revise Medicare claims processing. This change allows non-paid telehealth visits to be reported…
NOW AVAILABLE – Updated Quarterly OASIS Q&As
October 20, 2024October 2024 CMS OASIS Quarterly Q&A’s are available in the OASIS Quarterly Q&As section of the CMS QTSO webpage, https://qtso.cms.gov/providers/home-health-agency-hha-providers/reference-manuals .
CMS Establishes Hospice Special Focus Program for Enhanced Oversight Despite Concerns About Eligibility Algorithm
October 20, 2024On October 4, 2024, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) issued a memo (QSO-25-02-Hospice) outlining the establishment of the Hospice Special Focus Program (SFP). This initiative, mandated by…
The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved amendments to the Adult Autism Waiver (AAW) effective January 1, 2025. A webinar will be hosted on November 8, 2024 at…
Join CMS at the 2024 HCPLAN Summit on November 14! The theme of this year’s Summit is Alignment, Action, Change and will feature speakers across health care providers, payers, policymakers, and patient…
CAHPS Hospice Survey Quality Assurance Guidelines V11.0, Training Materials Now Available
October 20, 2024Hospice Survey vendors must submit an updated attestation statement by December 6, 2024, via email or the SAFE application. Additionally, updated slides from October 10, 2024 vendor training session and…
Hurricane Helene has devastated the Carolinas and surrounding areas. Home health, home care, and hospice providers report that the evacuation happened so quickly that they are struggling to find their…
PHA is pleased to announce that the 2025 membership dues have been officially posted and are now available for review by for agency members. This early notice offers members the…
Celebrating Hospice & Palliative Care Day on October 12
October 6, 2024PHA recognizes World Hospice and Palliative Care Day on October 12. This global day highlights the critical role of hospice and palliative care in enhancing the quality of life for…
SB 1080 (LPN Death Pronouncement) Moves to Floor Vote
October 6, 2024On October 2, SB 1080, a bill that would allow LPNs to make death pronouncements in home- based hospice settings, was voted favorably out of the House Health Committee. Coming up…
Engagement Continues on OAPSA Rewrite
October 6, 2024Conversations are ongoing with the Senate, other key stakeholders, and the administration on the proposed Older Adult Protective Services Act (OAPSA) reform legislation that has been of increasing discussions of…
Mission Moment: Lisa Giovanni
October 6, 2024Watch this powerful Mission Moment from former PHA Board President, Lisa Giovanni. Want to be featured and inspire others with your Mission Moment? Click here to submit yours!
DONATE NOW: Help Someone Receive In Home Care
October 6, 2024The Pennsylvania Foundation for Home Care and Hospice is reaching out to our generous membership—your immediate support can make all the difference to someone who doesn’t qualify for funding for…
Business Solutions Spotlight: Workers Compensation Trust
October 6, 2024When selecting workers’ compensation coverage, employers have several options. Employers may choose to be fully-insured, have a self-funded plan or they may participate in a self-insured group, such as the Pennsylvania…
Don’t Miss This FREE Event Coming To You!
October 6, 2024Don’t Miss This FREE Event Coming To You! 📅 WEST: October 16 @ 8:15 a.m. – 2 p.m. | Members Only 📅 EAST: October 23 @ 10 a.m. – 2:30…
FREE Caregiver Training
October 6, 2024Only available in Lackawanna, Luzerne, Pike, Wayne, Monroe, Carbon, and Susquehanna counties. CareWide, located in Scranton, PA, has been awarded grant funding from the Department of Labor and Industry and is now offering FREE…
HHAeXchange is hosting a special Caregiver Award initiative in honor of National Homecare & Hospice Month, and we encourage you to get involved! This is a wonderful chance to highlight…
Unlock the Power of PHA’s NEW Resume Bank
October 6, 2024Did you know that PHA’s Job Board offers more than just job postings – it provides direct access to our Resume Bank, a growing resource of candidates eager to explore…
Empower Your Team with PHA Member Portal Access
October 6, 2024Did you know that PHA Member Portal is available to your entire team! There’s no limit to how many employees you can enroll, ensuring everyone in your organization can benefit…
HHAeXchange Acquires Sandata
October 6, 2024On October 3, 2024, HHAeXchange CEO, Paul Joiner, announced the acquisition of Sandata Technologies. As a leading home care software solution in Pennsylvania for providers and managed care organizations, HHAeXchange’s…
(OLTL) is conducting a rate and wage study with the support of Mercer Government Human Services Consulting. PHA is hopeful the results of this study will inform advocacy efforts as we strive for reimbursement enhancements in 2025.
ODP Roundup
October 6, 2024The Office of Developmental Programs released a number of critical bulletins recently. Make sure you did not miss key rate, waiver amendment, and webinar information by reviewing PHA’s ODP Roundup.
On Wednesday, September 25, 2024, Representative Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) introduced the Hospice Care Accountability, Reform, and Enforcement Act (Hospice CARE Act). A large aim of the legislation is to improve cost structures and goal-concordant care for patients with increasingly complex physical, emotional, spiritual and psychosocial needs, according to Blumenauer. PHA is reviewing the bill and is largely supportive. PHA will work with key stakeholders to negotiate specifics of the bill to avoid unintended impacts on providers, patients or the hospice benefit.
NOW AVAILABLE: HOPE Tool User Manual and Web Based Training
October 6, 2024The Hospice Quality Reporting Program (HQRP) Quality Measure (QM) User Manual Chapter for HOPE Process Measures is now available. This QM Manual chapter contains instructions on the calculation of HOPE-based…
CMS Issues Hospice Prepayment Review Fact Sheet
October 6, 2024On September 4, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) issued an MLN Newsletter article, “Hospice Benefit: Expanding Prepayment Review in 4 States.” Under this initiative, CMS, through the MACs, will…
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