Top News
CMS Selects DHCS for Innovative Transforming Maternal Health Model
On January 6, the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS)
approved California's participation in its Center for Medicare and Medicaid Innovation's Transforming Maternal Health (TMaH) Model, a ten-year Medicaid and Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) delivery and payment model designed to test whether effective implementation of evidence-informed interventions, sustained by a value-based payment (VBP) model, can improve maternal outcomes and reduce program expenditures for Medicaid and CHIP.
DHCS will implement the TMaH Model in five counties: Fresno, Kern, Kings, Madera, and Tulare. This region is characterized by some of the highest pregnancy-related mortality rates in California, and C-sections and rates of prenatal and postpartum depressions are higher than the statewide average. There is also a greater need for maternity care providers and health-related social services compared to other California regions.
The TMaH Model is part of California's broader commitment to addressing racial and ethnic disparities in maternal health and ensuring that all pregnant people, especially people in low-income communities, receive the support they need to safely navigate pregnancy and childbirth.
Now Open: Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Capacity and Infrastructure Transition, Expansion, and Development (CITED) Round 4 Application
On January 6, DHCS opened the
PATH CITED Round 4 application window. The PATH CITED initiative provides funding to build the capacity and infrastructure of on-the-ground partners, including community-based organizations, hospitals, county agencies, Tribes, and others, to successfully participate in Medi-Cal. Nearly $158 million is available for Round 4. The deadline to apply for PATH CITED Round 4 funding is 11:59 p.m. PST on March 7, 2025. The guidance document and application can be found by visiting the
PATH CITED webpage. Please submit questions to
cited@ca-path.com.
Program Updates
BH-CONNECT Evidence-Based Practices Policy Guide
DHCS is seeking feedback on the
DRAFT Behavioral Health Information Notice (BHIN) 25-XXX Coverage of Behavioral Health Community-Based Organized Networks of Equitable Care and Treatment (BH-CONNECT) Evidence-Based Practices and
DRAFT BH-CONNECT Evidence-Based Practices Policy Guide. Please submit your feedback to
BH-CONNECT@dhcs.ca.gov by 11:59 p.m. PST on January 10.
Under the BH-CONNECT initiative, DHCS will expand coverage of evidence-based practices (EBP) available under Medi-Cal, including Assertive Community Treatment (ACT), Forensic ACT, Coordinated Specialty Care for First-Episode Psychosis, Individual Placement and Support Model of Supported Employment, Enhanced Community Health Worker Services, and Clubhouse Services.
The draft BHIN describes how county behavioral health plans, inclusive of mental health plans and Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) plans, and DMC programs can opt in to cover one or more BH-CONNECT EBPs and provides guidance on billing and claiming requirements for BH-CONNECT EBPs. The draft BH-CONNECT EBP Policy Guide provides operational guidance to support implementation of the BH-CONNECT EBPs, including an overview of the evidence base for each EBP and best practices for staffing teams, delivering covered services, and coordinating with other services and supports. For more information, please visit the
BH-CONNECT webpage.
Transition to New Family PACT Portal
On January 13, DHCS' Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment (PACT) program's client eligibility and enrollment transaction services will transition from the Health Access Programs Client Eligibility System to a new Family PACT portal. To support Family PACT providers during this transition, Family PACT providers will have access to comprehensive training materials and webinars through the
Family PACT Online Training Center Learning Management System. These resources will ensure that providers are equipped to use the Family PACT portal effectively before its launch.
PATH Technical Assistance (TA) Marketplace Round 5 Vendor Application
On January 1, DHCS opened the
PATH TA Marketplace Round 5 vendor application. The deadline to apply is January 31. Round 5 will be a targeted procurement for new and existing hands-on service offerings that address TA Marketplace gaps. The Round 5 procurement will seek TA vendor applications for all seven
TA domains, but it will focus on services for the following provider types: rural providers, Tribal and Indian health care providers, maternal and child-serving providers, and transitional rent providers.
DHCS will not accept submissions for new off-the-shelf projects or changes to existing off-the-shelf projects during the Round 5 procurement period. Instead, the Round 5 application will solicit on-demand resources from existing TA vendors. Please visit the
TA Marketplace Vendor webpage to access the guidance documents and to apply. Please submit questions to
ta-marketplace@ca-path.com.
PATH Collaborative Planning and Implementation (CPI) Best Practices Webinar Recording and Materials
On December 6, 2024, DHCS hosted a public webinar, Hospital Engagement in California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM): Supporting Connection to Enhanced Care Management (ECM) Services Among Eligible Medi-Cal Members. The webinar discussed the value of hospitals engaging with CalAIM providers in their region, opportunities for improved collaboration on discharge planning, and opportunities for warm handoffs between hospital staff and ECM providers. The webinar recording and supporting materials are available under the "Best Practices and Resources" section on the
PATH CPI webpage. Please submit questions to
collaborative@ca-path.com.
Join Our Team
DHCS is hiring for its accounting, program accountability, contracts, behavioral health, managed care quality and monitoring, provider services, and other teams. For more information, please visit the
CalCareers website.
Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars
California Children's Services (CCS) Advisory Group Meeting
On January 8, from 1 to 4 p.m. PST, DHCS will host the
CCS Advisory Group quarterly meeting. DHCS and the CCS Advisory Group partner to ensure children in the CCS/Whole Child Model (WCM) program receive appropriate and timely access to quality care. Agenda topics include a recap of the CCS 2024 priorities and a look ahead to 2025 and updates on the WCM expansion, Enhanced Care Management, Medi-Cal Rx, and the CCS Redesign Performance Measure Quality Subcommittee. Additional information and meeting details are available on the
CCS Advisory Group webpage.
Behavioral Health Transformation Quality and Equity Advisory Committee Webinars
On January 9, from 9 to 11 a.m. PST, DHCS will host the second
Behavioral Health Transformation Quality and Equity Advisory Committee webinar. On January 15, from 9 to 11 a.m. PST, DHCS will host the third
Behavioral Health Transformation Quality and Equity Advisory Committee webinar. Once registered, you will receive a confirmation email with the webinar link and additional details. DHCS is pleased to continue its collaborative efforts to measure and evaluate the quality and efficacy of behavioral health services and programs. These public webinars provide an opportunity for participants to offer input for DHCS consideration. Visit the Behavioral Health Transformation
Stakeholder Engagement webpage for more information about the webinars and additional resources. Please send questions related to Behavioral Health Transformation and/or the webinars to
BHTinfo@dhcs.ca.gov.
Doula Implementation Stakeholder Workgroup Meeting
On January 10, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PST, DHCS will host the
Doula Implementation Stakeholder Workgroup meeting as required by Senate Bill 65 (Chapter 449, Statutes of 2021). The workgroup ensures doula services are available to Medi-Cal members who are eligible for and want doula services, minimizes barriers and delays in payments to a Medi-Cal doula or in reimbursement to Medi-Cal members for doula services, makes recommendations for outreach efforts so all Medi-Cal members eligible for doula services are aware of the option to use doula services, and helps inform DHCS' report to the Legislature with data on Medi-Cal members using doula services and recommendations to reduce any identified barriers to doula services.
As required by Welfare and Institutions Code section 14131.24, the workgroup will make recommendations to DHCS in a report to be published on the DHCS website by July 1, 2025. For more information about the workgroup, please visit the
Doula Implementation Stakeholder Workgroup webpage.
DHCS Harm Reduction Summits
DHCS collaborates with communities across the state to promote harm reduction and low-barrier, patient-centered care within California's substance use disorder treatment system. DHCS encourages substance use disorder treatment providers and staff (including social workers, peers, front desk staff, case managers, nurses, physicians, and all staff in substance use disorder treatment settings) to attend and learn about best practices to incorporate the tenets of harm reduction into substance use disorder treatment. Summits will be held in Fresno County (January 23), San Diego County (February 11), and Los Angeles County (February 27). Register on the
event website.
Coverage Ambassador Webinar Series: Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative and Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative Update
On January 30, from 11 to 11:45 a.m. PST, DHCS will host a webinar for DHCS Coverage Ambassadors. The topics will include updates on the Justice-Involved Reentry Initiative and Children Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) advance registration required. This session will provide detailed information on justice-involved individuals who are now, or have spent time, in jails, youth correctional facilities, or prisons and who are at higher risk for poor health outcomes, injury, and death than the public. The session will also focus on significant steps California is taking to improve poor health outcomes for individuals as they prepare to reenter their communities by working to ensure they have continuity of coverage upon their release. Additionally, Coverage Ambassadors will learn how early childhood wraparound services will be expanded through the CYBHI, which will provide mental health services to children, youth, and families.
Find out more about DHCS Coverage Ambassadors, or
sign up to become a Coverage Ambassador.
In Case You Missed It
DHCS Launches Cal-MAP to Enhance Youth Mental Health Care
On December 27, 2024, DHCS, in collaboration with the University of California San Francisco,
launched the
Child and Adolescent Mental Health Access Portal (Cal-MAP), a key component of the Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (
CYBHI), which is reimagining the systems that support behavioral health for all California children, youth, and their families. Cal-MAP supports California's primary care providers (PCP) by offering free consultations, training, and resources to help them care for youth ages 0-25 with mental health and substance use issues.
