Drug Medi-Cal.

Existing law provides for the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services, under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid Program provisions. Existing law establishes the Drug Medi-Cal Treatment Program (Drug Medi-Cal) under which the department is authorized to enter into contracts with counties for various drug treatment services to Medi-Cal recipients, or is required to directly arrange for these services if a county elects not to do so. Existing law requires a county to negotiate contracts only with providers certified to provide Drug Medi-Cal services. Existing law defines Drug Medi-Cal reimbursable services for purposes of these provisions. This bill would require the department to promptly notify the behavioral health director, or his or her equivalent, of each county that currently contracts with a certified provider for Drug Medi-Cal services if the department has commenced or concluded a preliminary criminal investigation, as defined, of the provider. This bill would require that any communication between the department and a county specific to the commencement or conclusion of a preliminary criminal investigation is confidential and not subject to disclosure pursuant to, among other things, the California Public Records Act. This bill would prohibit a county from taking any adverse action against a provider solely upon the preliminary criminal information disclosed to the county. This bill would authorize the department to notify the county if a preliminary criminal investigation of a county owned or operated program is commenced or concluded by the department. The bill would also make technical, nonsubstantive changes to the definition of Drug Medi-Cal reimbursable services. Existing constitutional provisions require that a statute that limits the right of access to the meetings of public bodies or the writings of public officials and agencies be adopted with findings demonstrating the interest protected by the limitation and the need for protecting that interest. This bill would make legislative findings to that effect.