EPT Cohort 1 Selection Methodology
A total of 719 practices applied by October 2023 for this program, and in January 2024, DHCS accepted applications from 211 practices. Of the total applications DHCS accepted, below are characteristics of the practices:
- 83% from HPI quartiles 1 and 2 (based on zip codes for clinical practice sites)
- Practice type (total adds to more than 100% as categories are not mutually exclusive):
- 51% small independent practices
- 42% Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) or FQHC Look-Alike
- 4% large health systems (County-owned, District Public Hospitals, etc.)
- 5% tribal health programs
- Populations of focus:
- 5.2% focused on pregnant individuals.
- 40.8% focused on children/youth.
- 18.5% focused on adults with preventive health needs.
- 28.9% focused on adults with chronic conditions.
- 6.6% focused on individuals with behavioral health conditions.
The selection process for the Provider Directed Payment Program included two steps: (1) using a DHCS provided rubric, a review and points scoring (out of 90 total) of all applications by the MCP indicated in the practice's application, and then (2) a DHCS review of applications recommended by the MCPs. Aligned with the priorities set forth in the DHCS Comprehensive Quality Strategy, DHCS added a uniform number of points to all applications meeting the following criteria: DHCS added a uniform number of points to all applications meeting the following criteria:
- Applications with a youth/children population of focus (12 additional points to achieve 40% of practices choosing this population)
- Applications with a pregnant individual population of focus (20 additional points to achieve 5% of practices choosing this population)
- Applications from tribal health programs (15 additional points to ensure an adequate number of practices serving this population)
DHCS then determined a uniform points threshold (77 points) which would result in a list of practices that would stay within the budget allocated for this phase of the program. Finally, DHCS identified counties that had applicants but no accepted practices. If 1-2 additional points per practice resulted in accepting practices from these counties (indicating the practices were good applicants), then DHCS added points. This step resulted in inclusion of four practices from two counties that would have otherwise been unrepresented, while still maintaining the budget for the program. For the remaining counties without accepted practices, the addition of a minimum of 10 points would have been required, indicating the practices were not ideal candidates for the program.
