The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania for the week of February 14-18, 2022.  (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

General Assembly

The state House Appropriations Committee began its FY 2023 budget hearings this week.  The Senate Appropriations Committee will begin hearings next week.  Hearings will conclude on March 17.  A complete schedule of the hearings can be found here.  The following is a selection of health-related budget hearings.

• Department of Health/Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (House Appropriations Committee) – Thursday, March 3 at 10:00 a.m.
• Department of Human Services (Senate Appropriations Committee) – Tuesday, March 8 at 10:00 a.m.
• Department of Health (Senate Appropriations Committee) – Wednesday, March 9 at 10:00 a.m.
• Department of Human Services (House Appropriations Committee) – Wednesday, March 9 at 10:00 a.m.
• Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs (Senate Appropriations Committee) – Wednesday, March 16 at 2:30 p.m.

Department of Human Services

• The Department of Human Services (DHS) has published a summary of Governor Wolf’s proposed FY 2023 budget for the department.
• DHS has published a Medical Assistance Bulletin informing providers that community-based care management services provided by Centers of Excellence are covered in the Medical Assistance fee-for-service program beginning January 1, 2022.  Find the bulletin here.
• DHS has updated its calendar of remittance advice (RA) delivery dates to include cycles that extend into early April.

Department of Health

• Two additional state-directed health care strike teams and another long-term care regional support team are providing requested assistance for hospitals and skilled nursing facilities caring for patients with COVID-19.  Clinical staff are supporting staff at Geisinger Wyoming Valley and Lehigh Valley Hospital – Cedar Crest.  These teams are on a two-week deployment and vary in size and scope based on the daily needs of the facilities and include registered nurses and respiratory therapists provided through a staffing firm.  Another team is working with the Pleasant Valley Manor nursing home in Monroe County, providing clinical and non-clinical support staff to allow for more rapid discharge of patients from area hospitals and freeing additional acute-care space to meet COVID-19 demands.  Supplemental staff includes RNs, LPNs, and CNAs; Pennsylvania National Guard is providing non-clinical staffing to support the facility’s existing staff and the Pennsylvania Emergency Management Agency is assisting with coordination.  Learn more from this Department of Health news release.
• The Department of Health (DOH) has updated its information about state-sponsored COVID-19 testing sites throughout Pennsylvania, including new sites in McKean, Susquehanna, Washington, and York counties.  Go here for information about locations and hours and for a link to a map with other testing sites across the state.
• DOH has issued an alert providing guidance to long-term-care facilities on response to exposure and outbreaks of COVID-19.  This guidance incorporates recent changes made by the CDC.
• DOH has issued guidance on core infection prevention and control measures for long-term-care facilities during the COVID-19 pandemic and incorporates recent updates made by the CDC.  This guidance also supplements previous guidance issued by DOH.
• DOH has reminded long-term-care facilities that they can order the oral antiviral treatments molnupiravir and Paxlovid from the strategic reserve specifically for residents of those facilities and other congregate settings and has updated an FAQ about the program.
• DOH has published a health alert about a significant increase in the number of cases of syphilis in Pennsylvania in 2021 and offering testing and treatment recommendations for providers.  Find the alert here.

COVID-19:  By the Numbers

• Daily COVID-19 case counts remain very high but fell significantly again over the past week.  Pennsylvania’s seven-day average yesterday (February 17) was 3159 cases day; a week ago (February 10) its seven-day average was 5163 cases a day.
• The number of new COVID-19-related deaths also remains high but declined again over the past week.  Pennsylvania’s seven-day average yesterday (February 17) was 83 deaths a day; a week ago (February 10) its seven-day average was 109 deaths a day.
• The Department of Health reports that the percentage of available adult ICU beds fell from 23.6 percent to 22 percent during the past week and the percentage of available pediatric ICU beds fell from 14 percent 8.5 percent over the same period of time, leaving just 33 unoccupied pediatric ICU beds in the state.
• The Department of Health also reports that approximately 12.7 percent of all staffed adult ICU beds in the state are occupied by COVID-19 patients this week, down from 17.3 percent last week, and that 26.6 percent of all ventilators in the state are currently in use, down from 27.6 percent last week.
• All 67 Pennsylvania counties continue to experience a high rate of COVID-19 transmission.
• The decline in the number of new COVID-19 cases is reflected in a 53 percent decline since February 1 in the number of Pennsylvanians hospitalized with the virus.  The number of people on ventilators also has fallen 49 percent since the first of the month and the number in ICUs has fallen 48 percent over that same period.

Around the State

As the number of COVID-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths continues to decline across Pennsylvania, newspapers are reporting on changes in their own coverage areas.  Among them:

• The Philadelphia Inquirer reported on the city of Philadelphia’s termination of its vaccine mandate for indoor dining.  The Inquirer also reported on the overall impact of COVID-19 on the Philadelphia region and offered an overview of COVID-19 deaths across Pennsylvania.  It also presented a report on the impact of the omicron variant.
• The Pittsburgh Tribune-Review reported that the number of COVID-19 cases is declining in western Pennsylvania.
• The Pottsville Republican Herald reported on the decline in COVID-19 cases in Schuylkill County.
• The (Chester County) Daily Local News reported on the decline in the number of COVID-19 cases in Chester County but local officials’ reluctance to ease mask recommendations.
• The Allentown Morning Call reported on changes in mask requirements throughout the Lehigh Valley.
• The Pottstown Mercury reported on the decline in COVID-19 cases in Berks County.
• Lancaster Online reported on the declining in the numbers of COVId-19 cases, hospitalizations, and deaths in Lancaster County.

Insurance Department

Jessica Altman has resigned as commissioner of the Pennsylvania Insurance Department; her last day on the job will be February 25.  Current department chief of staff Mike Humphreys will serve as acting commissioner.  Learn more from this Wolf administration news release.

Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency (PHEAA)

PHEAA’s PA Student Loan Relief for Nurses Program makes available to qualified applicants student loan relief of up to $2,500 for each year of work (beginning with 2020) for no more than three years, with a maximum benefit of $7,500.  To learn more about eligibility, benefits, and how to apply, go here.  Applications are due March 1.

Stakeholder Events

Medical Assistance Advisory Committee Consumer Subcommittee – February 23

The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee’s consumer subcommittee will meet virtually on Wednesday, February 23 at 1:00 p.m.  Go here to register to participate.

Medical Assistance Advisory Committee – February 24

The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee will meet virtually on Thursday, February 24 at 10:00 a.m.  Go here to register to participate.  Find the meeting agenda here.

DHS – Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee – March 1

The Medical Assistance Advisory Committee’s managed long-term services and support (MLTSS) subcommittee will meet virtually on Tuesday, March 1 at 10:00 a.m.  Go here to register to participate.