DHCS Stakeholder News - October 21, 2022
The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is providing this update of significant developments regarding DHCS programs.
Top News
Registration is LIVE for Hospital and Skilled Nursing Facility COVID-19 Worker Retention Payments (WRP)
On October 21, DHCS opened WRP registration to Covered Entities (CEs), Covered Services Employers (CSEs), and Physician Group Entities (PGEs) through December 21, 2022. CEs, CSEs, and PGEs are required to register with DHCS to participate in WRP. Once registered, CEs, CSEs, and PGEs will be approved to apply for retention payments on behalf of their eligible workers. For the link to registration and supporting guidance, please visit the WRP webpage.
Program Updates
Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) Portal for Dental Providers
Effective October 31, 2022, DHCS is establishing new Medi-Cal provider enrollment requirements for dental providers. Dental providers will be able to enroll as a Medi-Cal dental provider by submitting an electronic application through the PAVE enrollment portal, along with all supporting documentation. All dental providers must use the PAVE portal to enroll in Medi-Cal, report changes to current enrollments, and complete revalidation or continued enrollment for individual, group, and rendering provider types. Once PAVE for dental providers is launched, DHCS will no longer accept paper applications. For more information, please view the Provider Bulletin, Volume 38 Number 31.
Indian Health Program (IHP) Grant Program Delay Release of Request for Application (RFA)
DHCS, following a 10-day public comment period for Tribal partners, is delaying the RFA for the IHP grant program. Originally planned for release on October 21, the scope of input received from Tribal partners and subsequent changes that will need to be made to the RFA have resulted in a change to the original timeline. A revised timeline will be issued when it becomes available.
A maximum amount of $22,852,000 will be available for two fiscal years to fund awards for this RFA when it is released. Funds will be available for distribution to an estimated 45 Tribal and urban Indian health clinic corporations, and grantee award amounts will be determined based upon the number of applications received.
Smile, California Campaign for Medi-Cal Dental Services
The current Back-Tooth-School (BTS) promotion and social media campaign on Instagram and Facebook will run through the end of November. A recording of the October 12 BTS webinar with the California Department of Education has been posted. All BTS materials are posted on the Oral Health and School Readiness pages on SmileCalifornia.org and SonrieCalifornia.org.
Join Our Team
DHCS is hiring Californians to join our fiscal, human resources, legal, auditing, health policy, and information technology teams, along with other professions. For more information, please visit the CalCareers website.
DHCS is dedicated to preserving and improving the overall health and well-being of all Californians. DHCS' mission is to provide the most vulnerable residents with access to affordable, integrated, high-quality, and equitable health care, and is currently transforming the Medi-Cal program to make sure it provides the care Californians need to live healthier, happier lives.
Upcoming Stakeholder Meetings and Webinars
CalAIM Population Health Management (PHM) Advisory Group – October Meeting
On October 24, from 10:30 a.m. to 12 p.m., DHCS will host the next PHM Advisory Group meeting (advance registration required). DHCS established the PHM Advisory Group to provide input to support the design and implementation of the PHM Program and Service. The meetings are open to the public, and meeting information and materials will be available on the DHCS website.
The October meeting will include a short briefing on the Beneficiary Contact and Demographic Initiative, as well as a follow-up discussion on Risk Stratification, Segmentation, and Tiering and the PHM Service, based on questions received from the previous Advisory Group meeting. Stakeholders are encouraged to submit additional questions to CalAIM@dhcs.ca.gov before the webinar.
Nursing Facility Financing Reforms Stakeholder Meeting
On October 25, from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m., DHCS will host a virtual stakeholder meeting on the nursing facility financing reforms (advance registration required) authorized by Assembly Bill 186 (Chapter 46, Statutes of 2022). DHCS will present initial Workforce and Quality Incentive Program design considerations and seek stakeholder input. For more information, please visit the Long-Term Care Reimbursement webpage.
CalAIM Office Hours: Housing Supports via Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports
On October 27, from 2 to 3 p.m., DHCS will virtually host an “Office Hours" discussion on Housing Supports via CalAIM ECM and Community Supports (advance registration required). This Q&A session is a follow-up to the webinar on this topic held on October 13. Participants are invited to submit questions by October 24 to CalAIMECMILOS@dhcs.ca.gov. Attendees will also have an opportunity to ask questions during the discussion. For information about upcoming webinars and links to previous sessions, please see DHCS' Technical Assistance Events.
Doula Stakeholder Meeting
On October 27, from 1 to 3 p.m., DHCS will virtually host a public stakeholder workgroup meeting about adding doula services as a covered Medi-Cal benefit, effective January 1, 2023. DHCS is engaging workgroup members on policy development details that will be reflected in the Medi-Cal provider manual and other policy guidance documents. All interested stakeholders may listen to the workgroup discussion on stakeholder feedback and provide input via email to DoulaBenefit@dhcs.ca.gov. DHCS will also share an update on the status of formally submitting the State Plan Amendment to the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services in October, and discuss the provider manual for doula services. The link to join the webinar will be available on the doula webpage.
Authorization to Share Confidential Medi-Cal Information (ASCMI) Form Webinar
On November 2, from 2 to 2:55 p.m., DHCS will host a webinar focused on a pilot program (advance registration required) to assess the ASCMI Form and its use in a consent management service. The ASCMI Form is designed to facilitate the sharing of an individual's physical, mental, substance use, and social health information through a standardized consent process. A consent management service will be used to store and manage Medi-Cal member consent and can be accessed and amended by members and service providers via a website and/or their existing electronic health record (EHR) system. Each pilot applicant will be a collaborative partnership consisting of a health information exchange/community information exchange (HIE/CIE), a county health system, and managed care plans (MCPs), to provide support to enrolled providers (e.g., ECM providers, Community Supports providers, physical and behavioral health providers, hospitals).
The webinar will provide interested stakeholders with a detailed overview of the pilot and more information on an upcoming Request for Information from DHCS. There will also be time for Q&A at the end of the presentation. All HIEs/CIEs, counties, MCPs, and providers interested in piloting the ASCMI Form in a consent management service are invited to attend.
CalAIM Skilled Nursing Facility (SNF) Carve-In Webinar
On November 4 at 1 p.m., DHCS will virtually host the second in a series of public educational webinars about the SNF carve-in to support MCPs and SNF providers as they prepare for MCPs' coverage of SNFs statewide beginning on January 1, 2023. This SNF webinar (advance registration required) will provide stakeholders with an understanding of promising practices and lessons learned from plans and providers in Coordinated Care Initiative and County Organized Health System counties regarding the SNF carve-in transition. SNF providers and Medi-Cal MCP representatives are encouraged to attend. Additional details about upcoming webinars are available on the CalAIM LTC Carve-In transition webpage.
