Wednesday, March 18, 2020
DHS greatly appreciates your ongoing commitment to those we serve. Like your organizations, we are balancing the health and welfare of our staff with the needs of communities during this time of crisis. You are on the front lines, and we rely on you greatly. We are here for your questions and will supply answers to the best of our ability.
Do not hesitate to reach out to any of our team members, and my email is Danielle.Kirby@Illinois.gov.
Updated Regarding Supportive Services Enhancement and Revised Billing Procedures
This is notification that the technical assistance (TA) call regarding Supportive Services Enhancement and Revised Billing Procedures scheduled for March 19, 2020 at 11:00 has been postponed. The TA call was announced in our Supportive Services Enhancement and Revised Billing Procedures Smart Alert on March 12, 2020 https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=123132. In the interim, please send your questions to jayne.antonacci@illinois.gov instead of the SUPR Help Desk.
In regard to billing Recovery Support Services (RSS) as Community Intervention (CI) for residents in Recovery Homes, please be advised that RSS is already included in the recovery home rate. Therefore, no additional RSS billed as CI is allowed at this time. The ability for organizations with intervention licenses to bill for RSS is under review for possible implementation in the next fiscal year. Additional information will be forthcoming.
OTP FAQs
IDHS/SUPR has developed a "COVID-19 IDHS/SUPR OTPs FAQ," The purpose of this document is to help answer your questions and to provide some guidance on OTP-COVID-19 specific concerns. The document is attached to the email that accompanied this letter, and it will be available in our COVID-19 file in our Interpretative Guidelines page https://www.dhs.state.il.us/page.aspx?item=122884 (right side of the page).
Additional Resources:
- SAMHSAs recommendation is to follow all local and state guidelines. In addition, please review SAMHSA TAP 34, "Disaster Planning Handbook for Behavioral Health Treatment Programs."
- HRSA has funded the Telehealth Resource Centers (TRCs) to help, educate, and inform organizations and individuals who are actively providing or interested in providing health care at a distance. Their purpose is to assist in expanding the availability of health care to rural and underserved populations. Because they are federally funded, the assistance they provide is generally free of charge. https://www.telehealthresourcecenter.org/
- The Office for Civil Rights (OCR) Announces Notification of Enforcement Discretion for Telehealth Remote Communications During the COVID-19 Nationwide Public Health Emergency.
Please note: This exercise of discretion applies to widely available communications apps, such as FaceTime or Skype, when used in good faith for any telehealth treatment or diagnostic purpose, regardless of whether the telehealth service is directly related to COVID-19.
If you have any questions or need further information, send an email to the IDHS/SUPR Help Desk, DoIT.SUPRHelp@Illinois.gov.
Sincerely,
Danielle L. Kirby,
Director
Illinois Department of Human Services
Division of Substance Use Prevention and Recovery (SUPR)
