CenCal Health, the Medi-Cal managed care plan for Santa Barbara and San Luis Obispo counties, has received a 2023 quality award from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS).
Highlighting the work and accomplishments of healthcare providers in the plan’s network, the Certificate of Achievement was presented to CenCal Health for its notable advancements in various quality and health equity strategies, which support DHCS’ Bold Goals for 2025.
The award was presented to CenCal Health’s quality team during the 2023 Quality Conference in Sacramento, and hosted by DHCS and the Health Services Advisory Group for Medi-Cal Managed Care Plans.
“This award is meaningful to us because it demonstrates the commitment and dedication of local physicians and safety-net clinics, who live the mission every day,” said Marina Owen, CenCal Health CEO. “As a local health plan, we value compassionate service and improvement.
“So, our work continues until every member receives equitable access to preventive care and achieves optimal health.”
CenCal Health partners with some 1,500 local physicians, hospitals and other providers in delivering patient care to nearly 230,000 members. Medi-Cal is the name of California’s Medicaid benefits program; the federal government administers Medicaid.
This fall, CenCal Health also distributed nearly $4 million in quarterly payments to participating primary care providers (PCP) through the Quality Care Incentive Program (QCIP).
Launched in March 2022, QCIP is a value-based incentive program that directly rewards plan providers who deliver exceptional medical care in their community, emphasizing the clinical priorities of significance to Medi-Cal members, such as diabetes and asthma care, breast cancer and cervical cancer screenings, and child and adolescent well-care visits.
To promote health equity, QCIP payments are also tied to the diversity of member patients managed by each PCP; as such, payments increase to reflect the proportion of members of greater clinical complexity, for example, the aged or those disabled.
The most recent QCIP payout was distributed to 88 PCPs on the Central Coast; recipients can be single physician providers or physician groups.
Among the local QCIP participants, the top performing physician is pediatrician Jeffrey S. Kaplan, MD, in practice in Santa Maria for over two decades. Other top performers include Pediatric Medical Group of Santa Maria; Santa Barbara pediatrician Augusto Castaneda, MD; Sansum Clinic – State Street Family Medicine; and the Advanced Primary Care unit of Community Health Centers of the Central Coast.
By the end of 2023, more than $15.5 million in QCIP payments will have been paid out to participating primary care providers on the Central Coast.