June 3, 2024 - Stakeholder Update

Top News

Update: Specialty Mental Health Services (SMHS) in Sacramento and Solano Counties

DHCS has reached an agreement with Kaiser Permanente, Partnership HealthPlan of California, Sacramento County, and Solano County to transition the responsibility of SMHS from Kaiser and Partnership HealthPlan to the Sacramento County and Solano County mental health plans in a phased approach, beginning on July 1, 2024, and concluding by December 31, 2024. Previously, under the California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) benefit standardization initiative, DHCS announced that the responsibility for providing SMHS to eligible members in Sacramento and Solano counties would be transferred to the counties, standardizing the benefits covered by county mental health plans statewide. 

In May 2024, Kaiser began the phased approach to notify 4,836 Medi-Cal members in Sacramento County and 2,091 members in Solano County that coverage for their SMHS will be transferred to county mental health plans. Monthly transitions (and related member noticing) will occur from July 1 through December 31. Kaiser, Partnership HealthPlan, Sacramento County, Solano County, and DHCS have been working closely to prepare for a coordinated and successful transition. 

DHCS' continuity of care policies will be used to avoid disrupting member care and facilitate warm handoffs between providers. Under these policies, members may be able to keep their current SMHS provider for up to 12 months after their transition date, if that provider is not part of the new plan's network. Members, a member's authorized representative on file with Medi-Cal, or the member's provider can request continuity of care from the new county mental health plan. This policy and related member rights are described in member handbooks available from each plan.

Members who are impacted by this transition and have questions about their SMHS may call Kaiser's Member Services Contact Center (Medi-Cal) at 1-855-839-7613, TDD/TTY: 711, or call their county mental health plan: Sacramento County (1-888-881-4881) or Solano County (1-800-547-0495). Members may also contact the Medi-Cal Managed Care and Mental Health Office of the Ombudsman at (888) 452-8609 or MMCDOmbudsmanOffice@dhcs.ca.gov.
 

Program Updates

Children's Presumptive Eligibility (CPE) and Newborn Gateway Portals

Effective July 1, DHCS will launch provider online portals to improve access to coverage and care for new families. Through CPE, providers may grant temporary, full scope coverage to eligible applicants through an online portal. This portal replaces the Child Health and Disability Prevention (CHDP) gateway portal. The Newborn Gateway portal is for reporting the birth of a baby with linkage to Medi-Cal and the Medi-Cal Access Infant Program within 72 hours after birth or 24 hours after discharge, whichever is sooner.  

All providers seeking to participate in CPE must complete certification training to become familiar with the updated portals and reporting requirements. All qualified providers participating in presumptive eligibility must use the Newborn Gateway to enroll infants with linkage, who are born in their facilities, into coverage as of July 1. The Newborn Gateway certification training provides background as well as provider expectations and responsibilities. The Newborn Gateway certification is a required supplement to current presumptive eligibility certifications. 

On June 6 at 1 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host a CPE and Newborn Gateway portal overview webinar. Another overview webinar will be hosted in late June. Registration is available through the Medi-Cal Learning Portal. Also, on May 30, DHCS held a CPE and Newborn Gateway portal overview webinar. A recording of the webinar will be available on the portal within 10 days.
 

Join Our Team

DHCS is seeking highly skilled, exceptionally motivated individuals to serve as:

• Chief of Medi-Cal Enterprise Systems Modernization to lead all information technology (IT) management and policy-related activities for the Division, including using agile methodologies/frameworks to ensure projects and assignments meet customer needs through the delivery of IT products. (Final Filing Date: June 4)
• Chief of Information Technology Strategy Services to lead the development, implementation, and management of IT-related strategy, policies, and planning in enterprise system architecture, governance, project portfolio and delivery management, and administration activities. (Final Filing Date: June 4) 

DHCS is also hiring for communications, human resources, auditing, health policy, information technology, and other teams. For more information, please visit the CalCareers website. 

Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars

Behavioral Health Transformation Webinar

On June 3, from 2 to 3:30 p.m., the California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS) will host a Behavioral Health Transformation all-comer informational webinar (advance registration required) for the public to learn more about Proposition 1. Representatives from CalHHS, DHCS, the California Department of Veterans Affairs, and Department of Housing and Community Development will provide an overview of its provisions, major milestones, and where to learn more. 

Visit the Behavioral Health Transformation webpage for more information about monthly public listening sessions and additional resources. Please send questions related to Proposition 1 and/or the public listening sessions to BHTinfo@dhcs.ca.gov. Additionally, please sign up on our website to receive monthly updates. 

Consumer-Focused Stakeholder Workgroup (CFSW)

On June 7, from 10 to 11:30 a.m., DHCS will convene the CFSW, which provides stakeholders an opportunity to review and provide feedback on a variety of consumer messaging materials. The forum focuses on eligibility- and enrollment-related activities and strives to offer an open discussion on Medi-Cal policies and functionality. Meeting materials, including the meeting agenda, will be posted to the CFSW webpage by noon on June 5. Please email your questions to DHCSCFSW@dhcs.ca.gov. 

CalAIM Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Best Practices Webinar

On June 27, from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host a webinar, Tools to Better Engage Eligible Members in CalAIM (advance registration required). The webinar is part of a biannual series of PATH Collaborative Planning and Implementation (CPI) webinars designed to highlight best practices for implementing Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports, increase providers' successful participation in CalAIM, and improve collaboration with Medi-Cal managed care plans, state and local government agencies, and others to build and deliver quality support services to Medi-Cal members. For more information, including past webinar resources and recordings, please visit the PATH CPI webpage.​​