2023-09
Harrisburg Happenings: Democrats Win Control of the House (Again)
September 25, 2023To say things have been chaotic in the PA House of Representatives in the 2023-24 Legislative Session is an understatement. Following the 2022 General Elections, Republicans held the technical majority…
What’s Happening in Washington
September 25, 2023Last week, amidst the chaos surrounding a contentious and unsettled government funding plan, PHA staff and members joined with home-based care advocates from across the country to meet with their…
Update to EVV Requirements for Pediatric Home Health Aide Services in the FFS and Managed Care Delivery Systems
September 25, 2023The Department of Human Services (DHS) has issued a new bulletin on the update for EVV requirements for pediatric home health aide services in the fee-for-service (FFS) and managed care…
HHS to Make Care for Older Adults & People with Disabilities More Affordable and Accessible
September 25, 2023The new rule simplifies Medicare savings program enrollment, helping millions of older adults and people with disabilities afford coverage. Last week, in their continued efforts to improve access to health…
PHI Releases New Annual Report on the U.S. Direct Care Workforce
September 25, 2023PHI’s report, Direct Care Workers in the United States: Key Facts,provides a new annual snapshot of the direct care workforce, including demographics, occupational roles, job quality challenges, and projected job openings….
Homecare Agencies Reestablished as an Approved Provider for CNA Renewals
September 18, 2023On Friday, PHA was contacted by the Dept. of Health to confirm that non-medical homecare agencies are approved providers for the purpose of CNA recertifications. In August, PHA was notified…
Agency With Choice Update
September 18, 2023On September 11, 2023, the Commonwealth Court heard arguments in a preliminary hearing regarding PHA’s lawsuit against the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS). As members are aware, on December…
DHS Receives Approval on Statewide Transition Plan
September 18, 2023On August 24, 2023, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) approved the Pennsylvania Statewide Transition Plan. The Statewide Transition Plan is considered the vehicle through which Pennsylvania documented…
CMS has released an updated version of the 2021 Medicare Post-Acute Care and Hospice Provider Utilization and Payment Public Use File (PAC-PUF). As a reminder, the PAC PUF presents summarized information on services…
HHAs Inaccurately Report Falls with Major Injury
September 18, 2023On September 5, 2023, the Office of the Inspector General (OIG) issued a report showing that home health agencies (HHAs) failed to report over half of falls with major injury and hospitalization…
MA Program Fee Schedule Update for Act 62 Procedure Codes
September 18, 2023Effective September 5, 2023, the list of procedure codes subject to the MA cost avoidance process under Act 62 was updated to bring procedure code descriptions in alignment with national procedure code…
U.S. Department of Labor Proposes Expanded Overtime Rule
September 11, 2023On August 30, 2023, the U.S. Department of Labor announced a proposal to Define and Delimit the Exemptions for Executive, Administrative, Professional, Outside Sales, and Computer Employees that would restore and extend…
CMS Open Door Forum: Key Updates for Home Health & Hospice
September 11, 2023The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) held a Home Health, Hospice, and DME Open Door Forum on August 30, 2023. The summary of the Forum applicable to home…
PA Budget Update
September 11, 2023Last week, the State Senate met to pass the final components of the FY 2023-24 General Fund Budget. While Governor Josh Shapiro signed the General Appropriations bill into law last…
DHS Announces PPL as Statewide Fiscal Vendor, Updated Rates for FMS
September 11, 2023Last week, the Pennsylvania Department of Human Services (DHS) announced that announce that Public Partnerships, LLC (PPL) has been selected as the new statewide Vendor Fiscal/Employer Agent (VF/EA). PPL will…
CMS Addresses Benefit Integrity Issues in Hospice Care
September 11, 2023On August 22, the Centers for Medicare and Services (CMS) announced enhanced efforts to protect benefit integrity and ensure quality in hospice care. On the agency’s official blog, Dara A….
Secretary of State Al Schmidt announced last Tuesday that Pennsylvania is taking the first step to implement the Nurse Licensure Compact by allowing nurses with multistate licenses issued by 40…
DHS: Updates to Pediatric Shift Care Services for Beneficiaries Under 21 Years of Age
September 11, 2023DHS has announced it will cover personal care services provided to Medical Assistance (MA) beneficiaries under 21 years of age under the home health services benefit effective with dates of service on…
HHS Updates Security Risk Assessment Tool
September 11, 2023The Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) and Office for Civil Rights (OCR) at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) have updated the Security…
CGS: NEW Process for 56900 Reopening Requests
September 11, 2023To ensure your 56900 reopening requests are routed and handled efficiently, please use one of these options to submit the appropriate request form and documentation: What is a 56900 denial?…
Impacts of Social Isolation Addressed in New Surgeon General Advisory
September 11, 2023The U.S. Surgeon General has issued an advisory report calling attention to the public health crisis of loneliness, isolation, and lack of connection in our country. The advisory titled, Our Epidemic…
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