Informs Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans (MCPs)operating in Geographic Managed Care or Two Plan counties (not County Organization Health Systems, like Partnership) that they must ensure continuity of care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries transitioning from Fee For Service. MCPs must provide beneficiaries with the completion of certain covered services that the beneficiary was receiving from a non-contracted provider for up to 12 months when the beneficiary has an acute condition, serious chronic condition, is pregnant, has a terminal illness, is a newborn, or has a planned surgery.  The letter directs plans that all Medical Exemption Requests are to be treated as requests for continuity of care.  The full letter is available here.

This letter (available here) reminds Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans to communicate to its provider networks and subcontractors the requirement that transgender services (including psychotherapy, continuous hormone therapy, laboratory testing to monitor hormone therapy and gender reassignment surgery that is not cosmetic in nature) be made available to Medi-Cal beneficiaries. Criteria for medical necessity is based on the most current WPATH “Standards of Care for Health of Transsexual, Transgender, and Gender Nonconforming People.”

The California Department of Social Services has scheduled a public hearing for April 9, 2014 to receive testimony on regulation changes concerning Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly Hospice Care, Terminally Ill Persons, and concerning Adult Residential Facility, Hospice Terminally Ill.  Details can be found by clicking here.