Have you experienced challenges providing behavioral health services?

California Medical Association

April 13, 2021

Over the next five years, the California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) Division of Plan Surveys will be conducting investigations of all full-service commercial health plans regulated by DMHC to assess barriers and challenges practitioners experience in providing behavioral health services.

The investigations will also seek to identify systemic changes that could be made to improve the delivery of behavioral health care.

DMHC anticipates it will conduct an average of five investigations per year. The first five health plans to be investigated in 2021 are:

• Cigna Health Care of California
• Ventura County Health Care Plan
• Sutter Health Plan
• Community Care Health Plan, Inc.
• Contra Costa County Medical Services

Please note, these investigations will not include the Medi-Cal managed care population.

DMHC is looking for providers willing to participate in interviews conducted by DMHC as a component of the investigations of the above-listed five health plans. The interviews will help DMHC to gain a comprehensive understanding of provider-specific barriers and challenges. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews conducted in 2021 will likely be via phone or video conferencing.

Providers who have elected not to contract with the above five health plans, or contracted providers who have experienced barriers and challenges providing behavioral health services to their patients within the past two years, and who wish to participate in these interviews should contact DMHC at ProviderBHI@dmhc.ca.gov or (279) 666-5858. 

More information about the behavioral health investigations is available on the DMHC website.