Memorandum
Date: January 7th, 2024
To: The Honorable Lake County Board of Supervisors
From: Elise Jones, Director of Behavioral Health
Subject: Adopt Resolution Authorizing the Integrated Behavioral Health Standard Agreement between the County of Lake and the Department of Health Care Services for Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System and Specialty Mental Health Services for the Period of January 1,2025 to December 31, 2026 and Authorizing the Behavioral Health Director to Sign the Standard Agreement and the Contractor Certification Clause.
Executive Summary:
California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) is a long-term commitment to transform and strengthen Medi-Cal by reducing complexity across the Medi-Cal delivery systems for behavioral health services, among other reforms. Consistent with that goal, CalAIM proposed the Behavioral Health Administrative Integration initiative to consolidate specialty mental health services (SMHS) and substance use disorder (SUD) services-covered either by county Drug Medi-Cal (DMC) or Drug Medi-Cal Organized Delivery System (DMC-ODS) programs-into a single county-based behavioral health program. This program will be operated under a single, integrated contract between counties and the state. The Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) and counties will partner on a phased implementation approach that achieves statewide administrative integration of SMHS and SUD by State Fiscal Year (SFY) 2027-2028.
The primary goals of Behavioral Health Administrative Integration are to improve health care outcomes and the experience of care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries, particularly those living with co-occurring mental health and SUD issues, and to reduce administrative burden for beneficiaries, counties, providers, and the state. Historically, counties have administered two separate programs for the delivery of Medi-Cal SMHS and SUD services, each with its own state contract and funding streams. Individuals with serious men...
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