Ang California ay NAGBIBIGAY NG HALOS $147 MILYON UPANG PALAKAS ANG MGA SERBISYONG KALUSUGAN NG KOMUNIDAD

Ang mga Pondo ay Makakatulong sa Mga Provider ng Medi-Cal na Magdagdag ng Kapasidad sa Mga Komunidad ng Miyembro – Nagbibigay ng Access sa Pangangalaga sa In-Person Kung Saan Sila Nakatira  

SACRAMENTO — The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) today awarded $146.6 million to 133 organizations to support the provision of Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports services to Medi-Cal members. These awards are part of the Providing Access and Transforming Health (PATH) Capacity and Infrastructure, Transition, Expansion, and Development (CITED) initiative, designed to help providers strengthen their ability to participate in the Medi-Cal delivery system and provide whole-person care to Californians.

“Ang mga pondong ito ay makakatulong sa mga lokal na tagapagbigay ng serbisyo na bumuo ng kapasidad sa sistema ng pangangalagang pinamamahalaan ng Medi-Cal upang mapalawak ang kanilang mga serbisyo, tinitiyak na matatanggap ng mga miyembro ng Medi-Cal ang mga serbisyo ng Enhanced Care Management at Community Supports na kailangan nila sa kanilang mga komunidad,” sabi ni Michelle Baass, Direktor ng DHCS. "Nakatuon kami sa pagpapabuti ng mga resulta ng kalusugan sa pamamagitan ng pagsuporta sa mga tao at organisasyon na nasa frontline."

ECM and Community Supports focus on providing personalized care for Medi-Cal members with the highest needs, providing in-person care coordination, housing assistance, and other essential services for eligible members. PATH CITED funds will support these efforts by investing in workforce development, infrastructure, and technology.

CAPACITY FOR ECM AND COMMUNITY SUPPORTS INCREASING: The latest ECM and Community Supports Quarterly Implementation Report shows an increase in the availability and use of Community Supports, showing significant growth in the number of counties offering these services. As of January 2024, 19 counties across California offered all 14 Community Supports, and all counties offered at least eight Community Supports. About 140,000 unique Medi-Cal members used Community Supports in the first two years of the program, with more than 350,000 total services delivered. ECM participation also grew, with around 96,000 members served in quarter four 2023, a 40 percent increase from the same period in 2022.

“We’re very grateful for the funding and support from this initiative. We would not be here without this opportunity,” said John Bodtker, California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) Director for California Health Collaborative, a statewide nonprofit serving community members since 1982, which received more than $1.9 million in PATH CITED Round 3 funding. “This funding will help us invest in our workforce and information systems to not only build relationships with nontraditional providers, like food banks and clothing closets, but to also foster relationships with clinical providers to try and identify people experiencing gaps in care.”

WHY THIS IS IMPORTANT: PATH CITED is helping ECM and Community Supports providers bolster their workforce, invest in infrastructure and information technology systems, and develop their capacity to serve Medi-Cal members. Examples of capacity-building efforts that CITED awardees will undertake include: 

• Pagbuo ng panloob na imprastraktura at kapasidad ng kawani upang mas mahusay na matugunan ang mga pangangailangan ng miyembro at malapitan ang mga puwang sa pangangalaga sa mga lugar na kanilang pinaglilingkuran. 
• Pagpapatupad ng bagong software upang matulungan ang mga tagapag-ugnay ng pangangalaga sa ECM sa paglipat, koordinasyon, at pamamahala ng pangangalaga sa pasyente. 
• Pagpapalawak ng mga Suporta sa Komunidad na tumutugon sa kultura upang mas mapagsilbihan ang mga miyembro mula sa magkakaibang lingguwistika at kultural na background.

“Dahil sa PATH CITED, binago namin ang aming mga kakayahan sa teknolohiya ng impormasyon at lakas-paggawa,” sabi ni Jeff Little, CEO ng Inland Housing Solutions at dating CITED awardee. “Ang pondo ng CITED ay nagbigay-daan sa amin upang umunlad bilang isang rehiyonal na lider ng Mga Suporta sa Komunidad sa mga county ng San Bernardino at Riverside at naging mahalaga ito sa pagpapahusay ng aming kakayahang maging mahusay sa loob ng balangkas ng Medi-Cal.”

BIGGER PICTURE: ECM is a statewide Medi-Cal benefit addressing the clinical and non-clinical needs of the highest-need members by building trusting relationships and providing intensive coordination of health and health-related services. Lead care managers meet members where they are—on the street, in a shelter, in their doctor’s office, or at home. Through ECM, members can also be connected to Community Supports services to help address their health-related social needs, such as access to healthy foods or safe housing to help with recovery from an illness. 

“These investments continue to help local Medi-Cal providers operate within the managed care system by empowering them to build and deliver programs, hire and train specialized staff, invest in information systems, and more. It also underscores our commitment to support sustainable partnerships between managed care plans and community-based providers, and develop a delivery system capable of providing patient-centered, whole-person care,” said Susan Philip, Deputy Director for DHCS’ Health Care Delivery Systems. “Together, we are driving toward better health outcomes and a more equitable health care delivery system for all Californians.”

HOW WE GOT HERE: PATH is a five-year, $1.85 billion initiative launched in 2022 that provides funds for community-based organizations, county agencies, hospitals, tribes, and other community providers to support improved health care management and delivery through the Medi-Cal system.  

Recipients of PATH CITED awards include cities, counties, local governmental agencies, tribal entities, nonprofit community-based organizations, public hospitals, and others. Awardees must be actively contracted to provide ECM/Community Supports or have a signed attestation from a Medi-Cal managed care plan or their subcontractor that they intend to contract with to provide ECM/Community Supports.  

Inaasahang magbubukas ang aplikasyon para sa CITED Round 4 sa huling bahagi ng taong ito. Para sa karagdagang impormasyon tungkol sa inisyatibo ng PATH CITED, pakibisita ang website ng PATH.