DATE: May 20, 2025
TO: Board of Supervisors
SUBMITTED BY: Susan Holt, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT: Amendment No. 6 to Master Agreement No. 20-236 for Individual and Group Providers
RECOMMENDED ACTION(S):
TITLE
Approve and authorize the Chairman to execute Amendment No. 6 to Master Agreement No. 20-236 for Individual and Group Providers, to add the following Providers: (1) Rupinder Kaur and (2) Courageous Hearts Counseling Center LLC to the Agreement, effective upon execution with no change to the term of July 1, 2020 through June 30, 2025, and increasing the maximum compensation by $2,000,000 to a total of $30,739,838.
REPORT
There is no additional Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The recommended action will add Rupinder Kaur and Courageous Hearts Counseling Center LLC, to provide Specialty Mental Health Services to Medi-Cal recipients and increase the maximum compensation to the agreement for FY 2024-25. The increase in compensation will address an increase in reimbursable services rendered by existing providers as well as ensure sufficient funds are available for new providers added to the master agreement. This item is countywide.
ALTERNATIVE ACTION(S):
Should the Board not approve the recommended action, the Department may not be able to reimburse all services rendered by providers for FY 2024-25. Rupinder Kaur and Courageous Hearts Counseling Center LLC will not be added onto the Master Agreement. The Department of Behavioral Health (DBH) will not be able to increase its network of providers, possibly leading to longer wait times and potentially causing DBH to be out of compliance in providing State-mandated timely service requirements.
FISCAL IMPACT:
There is no increase in Net County Cost associated with the recommended action. The increase of $2,000,000 for FY 2024-25 increases the total maximum compensation to $30,739,838 for all providers for the total contract term. Specialty Mental Health Services are funded by Medi-Cal Federal Financial Participation (FFP) and Behavioral Health Realignment funds. Sufficient appropriations and estimated revenues are included in the Department’s Org 5630 FY 2024-25 Adopted Budget. Actual costs are determined by actual services provided.
DISCUSSION:
On June 23, 2020, the Board approved Master Agreement No. 20-236 with licensed and registered Individual and Group providers for mental health services to be delivered through a broad base of providers including psychiatrics, psychologists, licensed clinical social workers, licensed professional clinical counselors, and licensed marriage and family therapists to Medi-Cal eligible clients.
On June 20, 2023, the Board approved Amendment No. 1 (No. 23-271) to Master Agreement No. 20-236 to update the rates to be in compliance with the new California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal (CalAIM) initiative set forth by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) as well as to update and correct rate sheets.
On January 9, 2024, the Board approved Amendment No. 2 (No. 24-021) to update the business name of an existing provider and add one additional provider to the Master Agreement.
On May 21, 2024, the Board approved Amendment No. 3 (24-217) to increase the maximum compensation, revise billing rates, remove one provider, and add three providers to the agreement.
On November 4, 2024, the Board approved Amendment No. 4 (No. 24-574) to add additional providers to the Master Agreement.
On December 17, 2024, the Board approved Amendment No. 5 (No. 24-667) to retroactively increase the maximum compensation for FYs 2023-24 and FY 2024-25, and updated provider Karina Cisneros to Karina Baca due to her legal name change.
Approval of the recommended Amendment No. 6 will increase the maximum compensation for specialty mental health services provided under this Master Agreement and add Rupinder Kaur and Courageous Hearts Counseling Center LLC as providers to the Master Agreement. Adding these providers to the Master Agreement will result in more providers and services available to Medi-Cal recipients. These services are reimbursed on a fee for service basis with rates set by the Department. Providers acknowledge that the provider rates in the fee tables are all-inclusive which account for program operating expenses.
Year-to-date expenditures for FY 2024-25 total approximately $4,622,785.66 of the total $8,000,000 allocated. The Department is requesting a $2,000,000 increase in maximum compensation for this fiscal year to accommodate the increase of service delivery associated with the addition of new service providers this fiscal year, including Valley Children’s Hospital, Marjaree Mason Center, Rupinder Kaur, and Courageous Hearts. The Department is requesting additional funding within the agreement to account for all services provided by the contracted providers to ensure they are able to be reimbursed through the term of the agreement.
In FY 2023-24, this agreement resulted in a total of 60,576 services to 4,203 unique persons served.
OTHER REVIEWING AGENCIES:
The Behavioral Health Board was notified of this amendment at the May 2025 meeting.
REFERENCE MATERIAL:
BAI #41 December 17, 2024
BAI #41 November 5, 2024
BAI #27 May 21, 2024
BAI #32 January 9, 2024
BAI #43 June 20, 2023
BAI #33 June 23, 2020
ATTACHMENTS INCLUDED AND/OR ON FILE:
On file with Clerk - Amendment No. 6 to Master Agreement
CAO ANALYST:
Ronald Alexander