Soledad Unified School District (Soledad USD) has teamed up with Intrepid Ascent to explore the implications of incorporating Medi-Cal billing functions into the existing Soledad USD infrastructure as part of the Student Behavioral Health Incentive Program (SBHIP).
Soledad USD is participating in SBHIP, funded by the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS), to build infrastructure and capacity for Medi-Cal billing. SBHIP is a $389 million program designated over a three-year period (January 1, 2022–December 31, 2024) for incentive payments to Medi-Cal managed care plans (MCPs) that meet predefined goals and metrics. SBHIP goals and metrics are associated with targeted interventions that increase access to preventive, early intervention, and behavioral health services by school-affiliated behavioral health providers for TK–12 children in public schools.
“It is with great pleasure that we have had the opportunity to partner with Intrepid Ascent to fully evaluate our internal processes and procedures for Medi-Cal billing,” said Soledad USD Superintendent Randy Bangs. “We hold student services of the utmost importance, and to Soledad USD, it is critical to continuously evaluate current processes and procedures to ensure they meet the current needs of our students. We are confident that with this current partnership, we will have additional guidance to potentially make necessary changes that will allow us to expand our services to students.”
Intrepid Ascent supports Soledad USD in two targeted interventions that have been approved under the SBHIP pilot project: (1) implementing information technology and processes for billing behavioral health services and (2) enhancing appropriate behavioral health screenings and referrals by streamlining workflow processes and training school-affiliated behavioral health providers.
Intrepid Ascent has been engaged to assist Soledad USD with exploring the implications of incorporating Medi-Cal billing functions for behavioral health services into the existing enterprise. This activity will include the evaluation of systems, processes, staffing, and data governance framework; an assessment of the current state and future workflow needs of referral pathways; and provide technical assistance for the implementation of Medi-Cal’s behavioral health screening tool.
“Intrepid Ascent is excited to partner with Soledad USD on this engagement and the larger effort to empower the education sector to better serve their students and students’ families through cross-sector partnerships,” said Mark Elson, Ph.D., CEO of Intrepid Ascent.
About Intrepid Ascent
Intrepid Ascent partners with clients in a collaborative ecosystem approach that intersects policy, technology, and change management for lasting progress. We guide whole-person care initiatives across the country with our population health and cross-sector expertise. For more information about Intrepid Ascent, please visit www.intrepidascent.com.
About Soledad Unified
Every member of the Soledad Unified School District team actively works to create the conditions for student success and contribute to a positive learning environment. We commit every day to nurturing the unique skills and abilities of every student, and we work as a collaborative team within each school site and our greater learning community to achieve our vision. For more information about Soledad Unified, please contact Brad Smith, Director of Student and Family Services bsmith@soledad.k12.ca.us.
View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20231017595585/en/