The following is an update of selected state health policy developments in Pennsylvania for the week of April 25-29, 2022.  (Some of the language used below is taken directly from state documents.)

General Assembly

• The House of Representatives held session Monday (4/25), Tuesday (4/26), and Wednesday (4/27).  The Senate was in recess this week.
• The House Professional Licensure Committee held an informational meeting on Monday, April 25 to examine House Bill 1956, which creates a license for certified anesthesiologist assistants.
• The House Health Committee convened on Tuesday, April 26 and favorably reported the following bills.
• • House Bill 398, which requires a non-custodial parent of a child to enroll their child in their own health insurance plan before seeking Medicaid coverage.
  • House Bill 2441, which gives legislative agencies access to records information for research purposes under the Vital Statistics Law.
  • Senate Bill 317, which provides for the authority to prescribe antibiotics to treat sexually transmitted infections without having examined the individual for whom the drug is intended, in accordance with the Expedited Partner Therapy in the Management of Sexually Transmitted Diseases guidance issued by the CDC.
  • Senate Bill 818, which seeks to align procedures permitted in licensed ambulatory surgery centers with those of the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS).

• The House Human Services Committee met on Tuesday, April 26 and favorably reported House Bill 1644, which directs the Department of Human Services (DHS) to develop an escalation process to place Medicaid patients with behavioral health or long-term-care needs in an appropriate care setting, and House Bill 2530, which ends the practice of prudent pay in DHS’s Office of Developmental Programs.

Department of Human Services

• The Department of Human Services (DHS) has updated its lists of regulations that have been suspended because of the COVID-19 emergency.
• DHS has posted a notice about date of death discrepancies and audits that have resulted in the department recovering payments as a result of those discrepancies.
• DHS has announced its intent to allocate funds in FY 2022 to establish a new class of supplemental payments to qualifying acute-care general hospitals that provide a high volume of services to Medical Assistance-eligible and low-income populations in non-rural medically underserved areas.  For a more detailed look the criteria for qualifying for this payment and how much such payments will amount to, see this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

COVID-19:  By the Numbers

• Daily COVID-19 case counts climbed for the fifth consecutive week.  The state’s seven-day average of new cases rose 29 percent, from 1343 cases on April 21 to 1734 on April 28.
• The seven-day average of COVID-19-related deaths resumed its decline after a one-week detour, falling from 16 on April 20 to nine on April 28.
• The growing number of COVID-19 cases in the state – Wednesday, April 27 and Thursday, April 28 were the first days the state experienced more than 2000 new cases in a single day since late February – has led to a corresponding increase in COVID-19-related hospitalizations, which rose 22 percent in the past week and have risen 48 percent since April 1.
• These figures, though, need to be viewed in context.  The last time the state had as many new cases as it experienced in recent days more than twice as many Pennsylvanians were hospitalized because of COVID-19 than are hospitalized today.
• In addition, this resurgence in new COVID-19 cases and hospitalizations has not translated into more serious types of hospital care.  The number of COVID-19 patients in hospital ICUs was the same on April 28 as it was on April 1 and the number of such patients on ventilators is now just two-thirds of the number receiving such care on April 1.
• The numbers of COVID-19 patients in hospital ICUs and on ventilators, moreover, are only a fraction of what they were in late February, the last time daily case counts were as high as they were this week.  During the week of April 25 the number of COVID-19 patients in hospital ICUs is only 24 percent of what it was in late February while the number on ventilators is only 18 percent of what it was in late February.
• During the past week 22 Pennsylvania counties, up from nine last week, experienced high rates of community transmission of COVID-19; three counties, the same number as last week, experienced a low rate of transmission; 22 counties, up from 20 last week, experienced a substantial rate of community transmission; and the remaining 20 counties experienced a moderate rate.

Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs

The Department of Drug and Alcohol Programs has announced the opening of its Substance Use Disorder Loan Repayment Program.  This program seeks to help substance use disorder treatment and single county authority-funded case management professionals repay their outstanding qualifying educational loans.  Applications must be submitted via the online application portal by May 26.  Eligible practitioners must have the capacity to provide substance use disorder treatment or single-county authority-funded case management services at approved practice site(s) and meet the requirements in Section 6 of the Project Summary.  Selected candidates must demonstrate a minimum of two prior years of experience in the substance use disorder treatment field and agree to a service commitment of two additional years.  For more information, see the Application Guidance.  Questions regarding the grants and the application process should be emailed to RA-DAGrantsMgmt@pa.gov.

Stakeholder Events

Behavioral Health Services for the Nursing Facility Population – May 3

DHS’s Office of Long-Term Living, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services (OMHSAS), the HealthChoices behavioral health managed care organizations, and the Community HealthChoices managed care organizations will host a joint webinar on Tuesday, May 3 at 2:00 on the importance of providing behavioral health services in nursing facilities and ensuring that nursing facilities know how to gain access to these services.  Go here for more information and to register to participate.

Department of Health – Organ Donation Advisory Committee – May 5

The Department of Health’s Organ Donation Advisory Committee will hold a virtual public meeting on Thursday, May 5 at 10:00 to review progress in the area of organ and tissue donation in Pennsylvania, recommend education and awareness activities, recommend priorities in expenditures from the Organ and Tissue Donation Awareness Fund (Fund), and advise the Acting Secretary on matters relating to the administration of the fund.  For information about how to participate, see this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

Department of Health – Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board – May 6

The Traumatic Brain Injury Advisory Board will hold a public meeting on Friday, May 6 at 10:00 at the Pennsylvania Training and Technical Assistance Network, 6340 Flank Drive in Harrisburg, in the Dauphin Conference Room.  To learn more about the meeting, and for information about how to participate virtually, see this Pennsylvania Bulletin notice.

Department of Human Services – Medical Assistance Advisory Committee – Managed Long-Term Services and Supports Subcommittee – May 10

The managed long-term services and supports subcommittee of DHS’s Medical Assistance Advisory Committee will meet virtually on Tuesday, May 10 at 10:00.  To register to participate, go here.