Medi-Cal specialty mental health services.

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, including specialty mental health services, and Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment services for an individual under 21 years of age. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions. Under existing law, one of the methods by which Medi-Cal services are provided is pursuant to contracts with various types of managed care health plans, including mental health plans that provide specialty mental health services. Existing law requires the department to ensure that Medi-Cal managed care contracts include a process for screening, referral, and coordination with mental health plans of specialty mental health services, to convene a steering committee to provide advice on the transition and continuing development of the Medi-Cal mental health managed care systems, and to ensure that the mental health plans comply with various standards, including maintaining a system of outreach to enable Medi-Cal beneficiaries and providers to participate in and access Medi-Cal specialty mental health services under the mental health plans. With respect to specialty mental health services provided under the Early and Periodic Screening, Diagnostic, and Treatment Program, on or after January 1, 2022, this bill would require the department to develop standard forms, including intake and assessment forms, relating to medical necessity criteria, mandatory screening and transition of care tools, and documentation requirements pursuant to specified terms and conditions, and, for purposes of implementing these provisions, would require the department to consult with representatives of identified organizations, including the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California. The bill would authorize the department to develop and maintain a list of department-approved nonstandard forms, and would require the department to conduct, on or before July 1, 2023, regional trainings for county mental health plan personnel and their provider networks on proper completion of the standard forms. The bill would require each county mental health plan contractor to distribute the training material and standard forms to their provider networks, and to commence, by July 1, 2023, exclusively using the standard forms, unless they use department-approved nonstandard forms.