August 12, 2024 - Stakeholder Update

Top News

California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Dashboard Update

On August 9, DHCS posted an update to the public-facing CalAIM dashboards that promote transparency and demonstrate the impact, progress, and key opportunity areas of CalAIM. This update includes a new dental initiative dashboard that highlights CalAIM initiatives to improve oral health outcomes. It also refreshes data and enhances features in existing dashboards, including Behavioral Health, Community Supports, Enhanced Care Management, Incentive Payment Program, Integrated Care for Dual Eligible Members, Population Health Management, Providing Access and Transforming Health, and Bold Goals initiative. The dashboards will continue to be updated regularly and will expand to include additional quality measures, demographic data, and initiatives as more data become available.
 

Program Updates

Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) 1915(C) Waiver for the Developmentally Disabled and 1915(I) State Plan Amendments – 30-Day Public Comment Period

On August 2, the Department of Developmental Services (DDS), in partnership with DHCS, posted a proposed amendment to the HCBS 1915(c) waiver and the HCBS 1915(i) State Plan Amendment (SPA) for a 30-day public comment period, prior to submitting the final versions to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services for approval.

The HCBS 1915(c) waiver amendment and 1915(i) SPA would implement the next round of rate increases associated with rate reform effective on January 1, 2025. Additionally, the waiver amendment and SPA would add a new service (person-centered future planning) along with a corresponding provider type and payment methodology, increase rates for financial management service providers, and include new provider personal assistance to community living arrangement services with the opportunity for participants to manage their own services. 

All comments must be received by September 1, 2024. DDS and DHCS invite all interested parties to review the amendment and comment instructions on the DDS HCBS Programs webpage. If you have any questions, or to comment on the waiver amendment and/or SPA, please email federal.programs@dds.ca.gov.​ 

CalAIM Best Practices Webinar Materials Now Available

DHCS hosted a public webinar, “Tools to Better Engage Eligible Members in CalAIM," in June as part of a series of Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Collaborative Planning and Implementation webinars. The webinars are 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 develop and deliver quality, equitable services to Medi-Cal members. 

Organizations may now access and share the webinar recording and other supporting materials by visiting the “Best Practices & Resources" library on the PATH webpage. Please submit your questions to collaborative@ca-path.com.
 

Join Our Team

DHCS is seeking a highly-skilled, exceptionally motivated individual to serve as: 

• Assistant Deputy Director for Health Care Financing to assist in leading the planning, implementation, coordination, evaluation, and management of DHCS' health care financing programs and policies. (Final filing date: August 21)
  

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

Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars

Hearing Aid Coverage for Children Program (HACCP) Webinar for Medical Providers and Hearing Professionals

On August 15, from 12 to 1 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host its quarterly HACCP webinar for medical providers and hearing professionals. For more information and to pre-register, please visit DHCS' HACCP webpage. 

Population Health Management Webinar: Supporting Medi-Cal Members with Long-Term Services and Supports (LTSS) Needs

On August 21, from 12 to 1 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host a webinar on improving services and supports for members with LTSS needs as they experience transitions of care, such as moving from a hospital to a skilled nursing facility or from a facility to a home (advance registration required). Under the CalAIM Population Health Management program, managed care plans are responsible for delivering transitional care services to ensure members are supported from the start of the discharge planning process through their transition, until they are successfully connected to all needed services and supports. Given the variety and complexity of available services for the LTSS population across Medi-Cal, stakeholders requested technical assistance to ensure successful transitions into the least restrictive level of care. While registration is open to all interested, this webinar will be particularly beneficial to managed care plans and health care facility staff responsible for care management for members with LTSS needs.

This webinar will focus on how Community Supports, Enhanced Care Management, and transitional care services can best support members during and after periods of transition. Anwar Zouehid, Vice President of LTSS at Partners in Care Foundation, and Chris Esguerra, Chief Medical Officer of Health Plan of San Mateo, will join DHCS as guest speakers for a fireside chat to share promising practices for successful transitions for these members. The webinar will highlight new resources, including the Enhanced Care Management Long-Term Care Population of Focus Spotlight and the forthcoming transitional care services technical assistance resource guide for members with LTSS needs. 

CalAIM Justice-Involved Initiative Learning Collaborative Series

On August 22, from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. PDT, DHCS will launch a new virtual learning collaborative series for justice-involved initiative implementation partners to discuss the CalAIM waiver requirements, share best practices and lessons learned, and ensure all partners are on the right track. The meeting registration link will be emailed to implementation partners in each county. The sessions will be recorded and posted on the DHCS Justice-Involved Initiative webpage. 

The sessions will focus on county readiness and implementation strategies and will include such topics as the justice-involved screening portal, short-term care model, covered services, billing and claiming, Enhanced Care Management, warm hand-offs, auto-assignments, and pharmacy policy. The session will include facilitated breakout discussions for correctional facilities, county partners, and Medi-Cal managed care plans to work collaboratively on regional implementation efforts. In the week following each session, DHCS will host office hours to provide an open forum and answer any outstanding questions from the prior week. 

The primary learning collaborative audience is county adult jails (Sheriff's Office staff and correctional health care services partners); county youth correctional facilities (probation staff and associated correctional health care services providers); managed care plans; county behavioral health agencies; and the California Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation. DHCS also encourages county partners to invite Enhanced Care Management providers and reentry providers, as well as any other key implementation partners, to the sessions. For more information, email DHCS at CalAIMJusticeAdvisoryGroup@dhcs.ca.gov.

CalAIM Managed LTSS and Duals Integration Workgroup Meeting

On August 29 at 12 p.m. PDT, DHCS will host the virtual CalAIM Managed Long-Term Services and Supports (MLTSS) and Duals Integration Workgroup meeting (advanced registration required). The workgroup serves as a stakeholder collaboration hub for CalAIM MLTSS and integrated care for dual eligible members and allows stakeholders to provide feedback and share information about policy, operations, and strategy for upcoming changes to Medi-Cal and Medicare. 

Agenda topics include updates on Medicare enrollment data for dual eligible members, the Dual Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) dashboard, D-SNP State Medicaid Agency Contract and Policy Guide, D-SNP Default Enrollment Pilot, Medi-Cal Matching Plan Policy for dual eligible members, and Enhanced Care Management and Community Supports resources, and a presentation on dental care coordination for dual eligible members. 

Background materials, transcripts, and video recordings of the previous workgroup meetings, along with additional information about the workgroup, are posted on the CalAIM MLTSS and Duals Integration Workgroup webpage. For questions or comments, please email info@calduals.org.