| News & Insight
Behind the Numbers: What is Driving Continued HCBS Rebalancing?
New Methadone Flexibilities Can Help States Respond to the Opioid Crisis
New Peer Support Services Benefit to Leverage Providers’ Lived Experience to Support Medi-Cal Members
Sowing Seeds of Change: Promising Early Results from California’s Medication Assisted Treatment Program
California’s Efforts to Facilitate Access to Medi-Cal Mental Health Services
Californians, like the rest of the country, are facing significant mental health challenges in the aftermath of the pandemic. The need for new and enhanced behavioral health supports and interventions has come into strong focus in recent years and states are leveraging their Medicaid programs to respond.
REPORT: Billing Better in CalAIM: How to Improve Reimbursement for Enhanced Care Management and Community Support
Enhanced Care Management (ECM) and Community Supports are core components of CalAIM, a multiyear initiative led by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) that take a person-centered approach to social service delivery and care management for individuals with complex health and social needs.
CalHOPE: A New Sustainable Model of Care
Thanks to tireless advocacy combined with impressive outcomes data, funding was allocated in the California state budget to support the continuation of the program. This is a prime example of how initial federal investments can ultimately lead to long-term sustainability of successful programs.
New Video Series Tells Stories of ACEs Aware in Action
When Aurrera Health launched the ACEs Aware initiative on behalf of the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) in late 2019, we knew we were on the forefront of change.
ARPA Funds are Helping States Shore Up the Health Care Workforce
States are leveraging American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) dollars to support a multi-faceted policy approach to strengthening state health care infrastructure and the health workforce.
REPORT: Substance Use in California: Prevalence and Treatment
The health care system is moving toward acknowledging substance use disorders (SUD) as chronic illnesses, yet only about 10% of people with an SUD in the last year received treatment.
California Pursues Addition of Peer Support Specialist Services to List of Med-Cal-Covered Behavioral Health Services
Holding On: Community Health Centers’ Critical Role During the Pandemic
Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) are a critical provider of health care, particularly for communities of color and Medicaid beneficiaries. It is vital that health centers are financially and operationally stable so they can continue to effectively provide patients with primary care, behavioral health, and dental services.
California is Becoming ACEs Aware: 130,000 Medi-Cal Beneficiaries Screened in Year 1
Since the fall of 2019, Aurrera Health Group has been working closely with the Office of the California Surgeon General (CA-OSG) and the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to launch the ACEs Aware initiative – a first-in-the-nation, statewide effort to promote screening for early detection of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and mitigate against the health and societal impacts of ACEs and toxic stress.
REPORT: Holding On: How California’s Health Centers Adapted Operations and Care for Patients During the Pandemic
Prepared for the California Health Care Foundation by Aurrera Health Group and Capital Link, this paper identifies several key factors that enabled California’s health centers to manage the financial strain exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic while continuing to serve patients at a time when accessing health care involved new and unanticipated challenges.