Medi-Cal: federally qualified health centers and rural health clinics.

Existing law establishes the Medi-Cal program, which is administered by the State Department of Health Care Services and under which qualified low-income individuals receive health care services. The Medi-Cal program is, in part, governed and funded by federal Medicaid program provisions.

Under existing law, to the extent that federal financial participation is available, federally qualified health center (FQHC) services and rural health clinic (RHC) services are covered Medi-Cal benefits. Under existing law, FQHCs and RHCs receive a per-visit prospective payment system (PPS) rate for each visit. Existing law provides different methods by which an FQHC or RHC may establish a PPS.

This bill would authorize an FQHC or RHC that has multiple PPS rates to elect to consolidate those rates into a single PPS rate to be applied uniformly for all FQHC and RHC services.