Bill > AB835

This bill modifies the Medi-Cal Workforce and Quality Incentive Program, which provides performance-based payments to skilled nursing facilities serving Medi-Cal managed care enrollees. Specifically, the bill removes the requirement that providers be within a managed care network to receive directed payments, allowing all facilities that serve Medi-Cal beneficiaries to potentially qualify. Starting July 9, 2024, payments will be retroactively calculated based on the total number of days a facility provides services to Medi-Cal patients, regardless of network status. The program, which runs from January 1, 2023, to December 31, 2026, aims to target an aggregate payment amount of $280 million for 2023, with adjustments in subsequent years. The bill requires the Department of Health Care Services to establish methodologies and criteria for these payments, with at least two performance metrics tied to workforce measures. The bill also maintains existing exemptions for certain types of facilities, such as pediatric subacute care facilities, and ensures that these directed payments are in addition to, not in place of, other standard Medi-Cal payments. The changes are subject to federal approval and are designed to improve compensation and potentially workforce conditions in skilled nursing facilities.

Budget and Finance, Health and Social Services

https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billStatusClient.xhtml?bill_id=202520260AB835