24-142m All Plan Letter 20-021 (Revised) Has Been Retired for the Discontinued Acute Hospital Care at Home Program

Date: 02/20/24

The letter was released during the COVID-19 pandemic

Effective January 8, 2024, the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) has retired All Plan Letter 20-021 (Revised), Acute Hospital Care at Home.

How this affects you

Hospitals can no longer apply for a Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services waiver for the program or provide at-home care under the program.

The Acute Hospital Care at Home program was described in previous provider update 21-388, Acute Hospital Care at Home Program, distributed May 28, 2021, and sent to providers formerly with California Health & Wellness Plan in Imperial County.

As a reminder, per the DHCS Acute Hospital Care at Home program, in alignment with the California Department of Public Health (CDPH), the DHCS ended the Acute Hospital Care at Home program, effective May 11, 2023.

CDPH rescinded All Facility Letter 20-90 regarding interim guidance for the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19), as CDPH does not have statutory authority to license this type of care with the expiration of the state Public Health Emergency. To align with CDPH's facility licensing requirements, DHCS is no longer participating in the Acute Hospital Care at Home program.​​

Additional information

Providers are encouraged to access the provider portal for real-time information, including eligibility verification, claims status, prior authorization status, plan summaries, and more.

If you have questions regarding the information contained in this update, contact Community Health Plan of Imperial Valley at 833-236-4141.

 

This information applies to Participating Physician Groups (PPGs) and Hospitals.

This information applies to Medi-Cal in Imperial county.