MEDI-CAL FRAUD PREVENTION TRAINING: The Department of Health Care Services Investigations Division will join HASD&IC for a webinar on Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to noon (PT) to provide Medi-Cal Fraud Prevention Training. The main objective of this training is to help preserve professional ethics and integrity to ensure that Medi-Cal benefits and other public program benefits are provided only to eligible persons. Attendees will hear potential fraud indicators and appropriate actions to take if they do encounter a suspicious situation. This training opportunity is highly encouraged for any hospital or vendor staff who assist patients with their Medi-Cal application and is a great opportunity to ask any questions about Medi-Cal fraud concerns. Please pass along the invitation to any staff and colleagues who would be interested in attending.
RETENTION PAYMENT PROGRAM: HASD&IC would like to remind members that registration is now open for the Retention Payment Program. To receive an application and begin the retention payment process, covered entities — which include hospitals — must register with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS). CHA encourages hospitals to register as soon as practicable. An updated timeline for the Retention Payment Program is available on the DHCS website. In addition, DHCS recently updated its FAQs to include additional guidance on how to calculate an employee’s working hours if they are on leave, as well as other issues. DHCS also states that additional guidance should be forthcoming.
BEHAVIORAL HEALTH FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES: On Nov. 3, the application submission portal will open for the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) Behavioral Health Continuum Infrastructure Program (BHCIP) Round 5: Crisis and Behavioral Health Continuum Grant Request for Applications. DHCS was authorized through 2021 legislation to establish the BHCIP and award $2.1 billion to construct, acquire, and expand facilities and invest in mobile crisis infrastructure related to behavioral health. Applications are due Jan. 17 at 11:59 p.m. (PT).rs of receiving a positive test result. More details on how to make an appointment are available online.
SKILLED-NURSING FACILITIES: The county of San Diego is establishing a Healthy San Diego Skilled-Nursing Facility (SNF)/Dual-Eligible Special Needs Plan (D-SNP) Workgroup and is in the early stages of development creating its mission and objectives. The workgroup will look to address the immediate challenges of hospital patients awaiting discharge to SNFs and longer-term Medi-Cal reforms with the D-SNP. Interested case managers are asked to contact Caryn Sumek at csumek@hasdic.org if you would like to be involved in the workgroup.
COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTORS NEEDED: Health professionals who want to share their experiences with the next generation are invited to apply for adjunct positions teaching at community colleges. These positions are part-time, so those who are interested can continue to work in the hospital setting and teach at the same time. This also gives them an opportunity to earn some extra income. A few current opportunities include:
- San Diego City College: Nursing health educators with a specialty in mental health, obstetrics, pediatrics, geriatrics, and medical surgical are needed.
- MiraCosta College: One faculty position (tenure track) and two instructional associate positions (classified no license required but encouraged) are open. All these positions are “open until filled” but people are encouraged to apply as soon as possible.
- Southwestern College: Nursing health educators with a specialty in pediatrics, obstetrics, and psych are needed.
Those who are interested in any of the positions can reach out to Connie LaFuente at Foundation.HealthFaculty@gcccd.edu or Connie.lafuente@gcccd.edu for more information.
