CALIFORNIA
LAUNCHES MEDI-CAL HEALTH EQUITY ROADMAP INITIATIVE
Initiative is Part of DHCS’ Ongoing Commitment to Create a Stronger Medi-Cal Health Care Delivery System that Puts Patient Needs and Experiences First
SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), in partnership with the California Health Care Foundation (CHCF), launched the
Health Equity Roadmap initiative to engage Medi-Cal members of Black, Indigenous, and communities of color in DHCS' collective work to eliminate health disparities and advance health equity for Medi-Cal members.
“Medi-Cal was designed to provide eligible Californians with quality, culturally appropriate care, but too often our most underserved members slip through the cracks," said
DHCS Director Michelle Baass. “By co-developing our Health Equity Roadmap with Medi-Cal members, we will build a stronger health care delivery system that puts patient needs and experiences first."
This launch comes after the completion of a statewide listening tour during which DHCS quality and health equity experts met with Medi-Cal members from Black, Indigenous, and communities of color to hear their experiences with the Medi-Cal health care delivery system and their ideas for improvement.
WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: Medi-Cal leaders traveled across the state to directly engage members on their care as part of DHCS' efforts to eliminate health disparities. Through the Health Equity Roadmap initiative, DHCS and CHCF will continue to engage community-based organizations, health plans, counties, providers, and other stakeholders to collectively identify opportunities for achieving health equity. This extended and proactive dialogue will inform the roadmap's development and fortify the partnerships needed to drive change.
"Often, we are stuck thinking about what is feasible and focusing on incremental improvement. These conversations should create spaces for community members to claim what they deserve and imagine something bigger, shifting the conversation from 'what is possible' to 'what is just',"
said DHCS Quality and Health Equity Division Chief Sarah Lahidji.
Several community partners hosted the listening tour stops to receive feedback from Medi-Cal members. Engaging these partners is critical to transforming how health care is delivered to members whose past experiences with Medi-Cal haven't always been positive.
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Kris Lev-Twombly, CEO of the California State Alliance of YMCAs: “The California State Alliance of YMCAs partnered with DHCS on the Health Equity Roadmap initiative because it's important to hear from Medi-Cal members who have been historically marginalized. Through our YMCAs, we strive to create opportunities through health equity within our service areas, and we hope that Medi-Cal will continue to partner with organizations like ours to create a more accessible, equitable health experience for all Californians."
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Debbie Toth, CEO of Choice in Aging: “My vision for an equitable Medi-Cal system is one in which members express satisfaction and happiness with their care, that when they need support, they get it. It's a system members can feel confident about, knowing their care team is looking out for their best interests to keep them healthy and help them thrive."
WHAT MEMBERS SAID: Below are some of the comments made by Medi-Cal members during the listening sessions:
“Three years ago, I was in a car accident. I couldn't afford the expensive hospital and rehab care. Thanks to Medi-Cal, I didn't have to pay much at all, and Medi-Cal covered everything. I am incredibly grateful that this coverage exists." –
Medi-Cal Member, YMCA Session, virtual
“I'd like to see better, more coordinated communication that would provide consistent information." –
Medi-Cal Member, YMCA Disability Session,
virtual
“I'd like to receive all health care services, including mental health, for example, at a single location." –
Medi-Cal Member,
Fresno
“Without Medi-Cal, I don't think I would be okay." –
Medi-Cal Member, Antioch
“If I could change one thing about Medi-Cal, it would be to have a choice between holistic and synthetic medicine." –
Medi-Cal Member, Bakersfield
“I called the doctor's office to ask about scheduling my son's surgery. They asked me, 'Is this with insurance or Medi-Cal?' I feel like health providers prefer kids with private insurance." –
Medi-Cal Member, Santa Ana
WHAT COMES NEXT: The Health Equity Roadmap initiative represents an ongoing, phased process by DHCS to engage Medi-Cal members to create a more equitable, member-centered Medi-Cal system. The first phase in this process was a statewide listening tour, which concluded on March 1. The information gathered from these listening sessions will inform the development of the Health Equity Roadmap, which will guide the development and implementation of future DHCS programs to eliminate health disparities and advance health equity for Medi-Cal members.
“Racism and inequity have been systemic in our nation since its inception", said
Dr. Pamela Riley, DHCS Chief Health Equity Officer. “Medi-Cal has identified health disparities and embedded efforts in its programs to address them. However, efforts to eliminate health disparities must also include a fundamental shift in how we structure power, decision-making, and community engagement. This roadmap will help make that shift possible."
A COMPREHENSIVE QUALITY STRATEGY: The Health Equity Roadmap initiative is part of a Comprehensive Quality Strategy (CQS), which outlines DHCS' process for developing and maintaining a broader quality strategy to assess the care all Medi-Cal members receive, regardless of delivery system. The CQS outlines a set of Bold Goals to improve health outcomes in key clinical focus areas around children's preventive care, behavioral health integration, and maternity care, focusing particularly on health equity within these domains. These priority areas will be embedded into the detailed quality objectives to drive equity across DHCS programs. The CQS articulates DHCS' health equity framework to improve data collection and stratification, build workforce diversity and cultural responsiveness, and improve quality and care delivery to eliminate racial, ethnic, and other health disparities among Medi-Cal members.
BIGGER PICTURE: DHCS is focused on addressing quality and improving health equity in Medi-Cal. The transformative investments in Medi-Cal through California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) and other programs, coupled with the disruption of COVID-19 and a society-wide desire for change, offer us a unique opportunity to transform Medi-Cal and achieve high-quality, equitable health care for all.
Equity is at the core of the work being done at DHCS and across the California Health & Human Services Agency (CalHHS). Through our
guiding principles and strategic priorities, CalHHS, along with its departments and offices, are committed to advancing equity in our programs, policies, and workforce while also delivering on Governor Newsom's vision of embedding equity by implementing Executive Order N-16–22.
Additional recent actions by Governor Newsom to advance health equity at DHCS include: