DHCS Stakeholder News - September 15, 2023
Top News
Transforming our Behavioral Health Services
On September 14, the California State Legislature passed two key bills (
Senate Bill (SB) 326 and
Assembly Bill (AB) 531) to transform the state's behavioral health system and better address today's needs. The bills dedicate billions of dollars to new behavioral health treatment and residential beds and supportive housing units, create new accountability and transparency, and provide much needed funding for key workforce across the state. Please see the
Governor's news release for more information.
This effort will build 10,000 new treatment beds and housing units, helping serve more than 100,000 people each year, with $6.38 billion funded by a bond on the March 2024 ballot to provide the resources needed to care for and house individuals with the most severe mental health needs and substance use disorders. It will also update the Mental Health Services Act passed by voters 20 years ago to focus funds where they are most needed now.
Once signed by the Governor, this transformation of the state's behavioral health system and accompanying bond will go to California voters for approval. SB 326 and AB 531 will appear jointly on the March 2024 ballot as Proposition 1.
Additional Federal Waiver Flexibility
On September 14, DHCS received approval from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for an additional federal waiver authority to help streamline the Medi-Cal eligibility renewal process for county program administrators and Medi-Cal members. The waiver authority temporarily suspends the requirement for applicants and Medi-Cal members to cooperate in establishing the identity of a child's parent(s) and in obtaining medical support. This will simplify processing for Medi-Cal members, especially parents of minor children, ease the burdens associated with additional paperwork and documentation, and reduce procedural disenrollments during the continuous coverage unwinding period.
This waiver is effective on August 1 and will continue throughout the unwinding period. DHCS will issue a Medi-Cal Eligibility Division Information Letter to provide counties with guidance on operationalizing this flexibility.
Program Updates
Children and Youth Behavioral Health Initiative (CYBHI) Grant Funding Available
DHCS, as part of the CYBHI and in partnership with the Mental Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission (MHSOAC), released a Request for Application (
RFA) seeking proposals for the fifth round of grant funding totaling $80 million to scale evidence-based practices and community-defined evidence practices (EBP/CDEP) across the state. For the fifth round of EBP/CDEP grant funding, DHCS seeks proposals from individuals, organizations, and agencies to scale early intervention programs. Interested parties are encouraged to apply by submitting applications electronically to MHSOAC at
procurements@mhsoac.ca.gov by November 3 at 3 p.m.
MHSOAC will hold a
Bidders Conference webinar on September 20, from 1 to 2:30 p.m., to review the RFA and provide applicants the opportunity to ask questions about the procurement process and to receive clarification on any component of the RFA. Additionally, DHCS developed the CYBHI EBP/CDEP
Grant Strategy to highlight the overall strategy to scale EBPs and CDEPs across multiple funding rounds. More information is available on the
CYBHI webpage.
Medi-Cal Rx
On September 22, the drug cost ceiling and prior authorization (PA) requirements for enteral nutrition and specific standard therapeutic classes will be reinstated.
Reinstatement Phase 4, Lift 2 reinstates cost ceiling claim edits for members 22 years of age and older (Reject Code 78: Cost Exceeds Maximum) for all Standard Therapeutic Classes, with some key exclusions.
The PA requirements for new start therapies, including enteral nutrition products, will also be reinstated. The reinstatement will enable PA submissions in advance of the retirement of the transition policy for renewing/refilling prescriptions, include enteral nutrition products. Additional information will be shared with stakeholders during a series of meetings beginning on September 18.
Join Our Team
DHCS is hiring! DHCS has an immediate opening for
Chief of the Population Health Management Division within Quality and Population Health Management (the final filing date is September 25). This executive role leads the strategy, policy, oversight, monitoring, and evaluation of population health management.
DHCS is also hiring for our fiscal, human resources, legal, auditing, health policy, and information technology teams. For more information, please visit the
CalCareers website.
DHCS' purpose is to provide equitable access to quality health care leading to a healthy California for all. DHCS' goals and objectives express the tremendous work DHCS is leading to transform our health care system and strengthen our organizational excellence.
Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars
Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Technical Assistance (TA) Marketplace Informational Webinar
On September 29, DHCS will host the quarterly PATH TA Marketplace informational webinar for approved TA recipients. Entities eligible to receive services through the TA Marketplace are encouraged to submit the TA Recipient Eligibility Application by September 22 to receive an invitation to the webinar. Only entities that have completed the TA Recipient Eligibility Application and have received approval to become a TA recipient will receive the webinar link. Visit the
TA Marketplace webpage and click the “Apply to shop TA" button to apply. For questions, please email
ta-marketplace@ca-path.com.
Medicare Coverage Choices in California: Webinar
On October 11 at 1 p.m., DHCS and the California Department of Aging will jointly host a webinar entitled,
"Navigating Medicare Coverage Choices in California, Including Medicare Advantage Supplemental Benefits" (advance registration required). Presenters will include Stephanie Fajuri from the Center for Health Care Rights, an expert in Medicare choices for consumers, and Nils Franco from ATI Advisory, a lead analyst for the review of Medicare Advantage Plan supplemental benefits in California.
The webinar will share helpful information for consumers, families, health care providers, and the public policy community. It will include a presentation and question and answer session on Medicare coverage choices for consumers during the Medicare Open Enrollment period from October 15 to December 7, as well as highlights from a newly released DHCS
chartbook on supplemental benefits in Medicare Advantage Plans in California for contract year 2023.
Medicare Advantage plans offer a variety of supplemental benefits. The new chartbook examines these supplemental benefits in California to provide insight into the opportunities they may offer to support the state's growing Medicare population. Variations in supplemental benefit offerings show how Medicare Advantage plans can be designed differently to influence access to key supports for California Medicare beneficiaries.
Chartbook development was funded by The SCAN Foundation to support DHCS' Office of Medicare Innovation and Integration (OMII). The chartbook is part of a series of chartbooks available on the
DHCS OMII webpage. For questions or comments, please email
OMII@dhcs.ca.gov.
In Case You Missed It
New Survey Finds Knowledge Gap Between California Youth and Parents on the Dangers of Illicit Fentanyl
DHCS issued a
news release announcing a partnership with Song for Charlie, the national family-run nonprofit charity dedicated to increasing fentanyl education and awareness. The
New Drug Talk: Connect to Protect is a first-of-its-kind educational web platform designed to equip California families to educate themselves about the widespread availability of fentanyl-laced pharmaceutical pills (“fentapills"), the dangers of self-medication and experimentation, and how to have meaningful, high-impact conversations about the rapidly changing drug landscape.
Updated Keep Your Coverage Campaign Materials
New, ready-to-use content has been added to the
Keep Your Community Covered resources hub webpage to help In-Home Supportive Services and health care providers, schools and families, and employers. The messaging toolkits and print materials have been the most popular, with nearly 4,000 combined downloads since their launch in May 2023. Visit the resource hub and share it with promotoras, Enrollment Navigators, DHCS Coverage Ambassadors, and others who conduct outreach to Medi-Cal members.
