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Medi-Cal Duals Project Delayed

The Department of Health Care Services announced yesterday that the start of the Duals demonstration will be delayed. Instead of their previously announced October 2013 start date, they just announced the project will not begin until January 2014 at the earliest.  Please see below for the full announcement.  We will provide you with up-to-date information as it becomes available.  Please contact Lishaun Francis for more information or with questions:  Lishaun Francis, Associate Director, Center for Medical & Regulatory Policy, California Medical Association; lfrancis@cmanet.org or 916.551.2554.   ...

ACA: Medicaid Primary Care Rate Increase FAQ

Under the provisions of the Federal Affordable Care Act (ACA), state Medicaid programs (Medi-Cal in California) are required to pay primary care physicians at Medicare rates for primary care services for two years. The increase is fully funded by the federal government. The requirement began January 1, 2013 and ends December 31, 2014. The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) submitted their state plan amendment (SPA) to implement the rate increase on March 29, 2013. Approval of the SPA is required by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services ...

Medi-Cal extends 2012 EHR attestation deadline to April 30, 2013

Xerox, the vendor in charge of the Medi-Cal electronic health record (EHR) incentive payments has resolved the technical difficulties that were complicating some providers' ability to complete their 2012 attestations. Specifically, the Medi-Cal State Level Registry was not properly allowing some providers who have been designated as members of groups to inherit and utilize the group’s information. As of Friday, March 15, the system is fully functional.   Because of the difficulties and resulting attestation delays, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has received federal authorization to extend the ...

DHCS selects health plans for rural expansion of Medi-Cal managed care

The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) announced last week that it has selected four health plans to provide managed care services to approximately 410,000 Medi-Cal beneficiaries in 28 rural counties. The selections are contingent upon each plan meeting stringent readiness criteria.   The California Legislature authorized, as part of last year's budget, the expansion of Medi-Cal managed care into rural fee-for-service counties, expanding Medi-Cal managed care program into all of California’s 58 counties. This expansion is part of the governor's plan to reduce costs in the Medi-Cal program. Under the expansion ...