Medi-Cal: provider enrollment.

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 requires an applicant or provider, as defined, to submit a complete application package for enrollment, continued enrollment, or enrollment at a new location or a change in location, and generally requires the application package for enrollment, the provider agreement, and all attachments or changes to either that are submitted by specified applicants or providers to be notarized. Existing law requires the department to collect an application fee for enrollment, including enrollment at a new location or a change in location. This bill would exempt from these notarization requirements any provider that chooses to enroll electronically. The bill would clarify that the department is also required to collect an application fee for continued enrollment. Existing law authorizes the department to implement a 180-day moratorium on the enrollment of providers in a specified provider of services category, as specified. Existing law requires the State Department of Health Care Services to screen Medi-Cal providers and designate each provider or applicant as "limited," "moderate," or "high" categorical risk. Existing law requires the department to designate a provider or applicant as a "high" categorical risk if specified circumstances occur, including if the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services lifted a temporary moratorium within the previous 6 months for the particular provider type submitting the application, as specified. This bill would also require the department to designate a provider or applicant as a "high" categorical risk if the department lifted a temporary moratorium within the previous 6 months for the particular provider type submitting the application. This bill would also delete various obsolete provisions of law. This bill would declare that it is to take effect immediately as an urgency statute.