Report 2022-502 Recommendation 5 Responses

Report 2022-502: Follow-Up: Children in Medi‑Cal: The Department of Health Care Services Is Still Not Doing Enough to Ensure That Children in Medi‑Cal Receive Preventive Health Services (Release Date: September 2022)

Recommendation #5 To: Health Care Services, Department of

To improve its ability to ensure that children are receiving recommended preventive health services, DHCS should create an action plan to annually address its external reviewer's recommendations relating to children's preventive services, including any recommendations left unaddressed since the external reviewer's fiscal year 2015-16 reports.

1-Year Agency Response

DHCS is tracking External Quality Review Organization recommendations from the Preventive Services Report and addresses how they are or will be achieved and is relayed in the annual publication of the Preventive Services Report. These recommendations are updated annually, and the report is published and presented to external partners.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 1-Year Status: Fully Implemented

DHCS is tracking recommendations from, and providing updates to, its external reviewer.

6-Month Agency Response

DHCS continues to work with EQRO in implementing recommendations through the various reports. The latest health disparities and Preventive Services Reports should be released in the next few months, and DHCS will be tracking and working through the recommendations. Additionally, DHCS will work to include updates to implementation of recommendations in the following reports.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 6-Month Status: Pending

Per DHCS's response, it will not implement this recommendation until July 2023.

60-Day Agency Response

DHCS will continue to work with the EQRO to better assess, improve, and implement recommendations. Additionally, DHCS will create an action plan that better captures EQRO recommendations to include directing quality and health equity improvements MCPs must complete, creating a more stringent accountability process, and better tracking improvements on the recommendations. Currently, DHCS has made efforts with establishing the Affinity group collaboration with Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services and a few plan partners, and will continue to promote collaborative efforts.

California State Auditor's Assessment of 60-Day Status: Pending

Per DHCS's response, it will not implement this recommendation until July 2023.

All Recommendations in 2022-502

Agency responses received are posted verbatim.