What is the funding amount for each phase of the deliverables?

Funding amounts will depend on the number of eligible hospitals and the total amount of funding available. Funding is estimated to range from $60,000 to $150,000 for a one-year contract. If you are unsure whether you can complete the required scope of work if the award is below a certain amount, please submit the RFI anyway. Submission of the RFI does not constitute a commitment to accept funding if it is offered.

Does this funding require hospitals to complete deliverables? What is the due date for the deliverables?

Yes, this funding is provided through a deliverables-based contract. Please review the Request for Information for a full overview of the deliverables and an estimated timeline for due dates.

One of the optional deliverables is to submit a list of active ED clinicians. What is an “active” ED clinician?

An “active” ED clinician is any prescriber (MD, DO, PA, NP, or Resident) seeing patients in the Emergency Department. They do not necessarily have to be actively treating patients with SUD.

Am I obligated to sustain the navigator position after this contract ends?

Acceptance of Navigator Financing Models funding does not require a commitment to continue the navigator position after the contract ends but does require hospitals to meet the deliverables as laid out in the anticipated required deliverables.

DHCS has not provided funding to support the Phase 3 option period. Existing contracts will end with Phase 2.

If my previous contract has already ended, do I need to provide monthly data between the end date and the start of the new contract? 

No, data reporting is only required for the months covered by the previous contract and for the months to be covered by the upcoming contract, if awarded. You are not obligated to submit data for months that were not covered by a contract.

Can I get an exception or delay to provide data if I do not have a navigator? 

Data will only be required once the navigator starts in the position.

How do I inform CA Bridge that the hospital has hired a navigator? 

Enter the navigator start date into the Phase 2 Deliverables Report. (Form to be provided by CA Bridge at a later date)

I submitted data in the portal but did not get the email receipt copy. What do I do? 

Be sure to check your spam folder and also reach out to your site’s IT support to make sure you can receive emails from our portal. A copy of the receipt is also sent to data@cabridge.org, so please reach out and we will forward a copy to you.

For reporting demographic data, are race and ethnicity separate categories? 

Yes, we have designed the portal with Latinx ethnicity as its own section, separated from race. For example, if you have Latinx patients that do not indicate another racial identity, they should be counted in the ‘Latinx’ category for the ethnicity section and ‘Unknown’ for the race section.  

The totals in race and ethnicity should equal each other.

If I skip reporting the demographic data for metric #1, will I have to go back and resubmit these values? 

Yes, sites are required to submit demographic data for metric #1 in order to be compliant with the terms of the contract and will be asked to go back and submit this information later. Completing this component is required in order to process payment for deliverables.

Do navigator encounters include contacts by telephone or telehealth systems?

Yes, telehealth services count towards total navigator encounters.

Can some of this funding also be used for the clinical champion?

Yes, this funding can support the clinical champion, however deliverables under this award focus on developing billing protocols so sites are encouraged to consider which staff members are needed to perform this scope of work.

Will this funding cover training, travel, and materials for the navigator?

Yes, this funding can support training and materials for the navigator. Funds can be used for travel within the state of California and must follow the guidelines set by the California Department of Health Care Services.

Can I use this funding to support a second navigator position?

No, this funding is intended to sustain at least one behavioral health navigator in the Emergency Department. If a hospital already has one sustained behavioral health navigator position, the hospital would not be eligible for these funds.

Can the funding be used to support my social worker/nurse who serves as the navigator at 50% FTE?

Yes, as long as they are in a dedicated behavioral health navigator role for at least 50% FTE.

Are there any resources available to help set up CHW billing?

CA Bridge is working with the CA Hospital Association and DHCS. We will be rolling out resources and technical assistance soon.

Can we charge Medi-Cal for CHW services now? I only know of AUDIT and DAST billing.

Yes, CHW services became a Medi-Cal benefit in July 2022. The Medi-Cal Provider Manual provides guidance on billing for these services. However, while these services are technically billable, many EDs have faced obstacles to billing because of how ED services are billed under hospital contracts with Medi-Cal managed care plans.

Audit and DAST are ways to document screening and brief intervention for treatment, but currently Medi-Cal plans are not required to reimburse when these services are provided in the ED. If you have a contract with a payer that allows for reimbursement for these activities, you may be able to bill, but it’s not a requirement of Medi-Cal plans.

Is the CHW benefit only for patients seen in the ED?

No, the CHW benefit covers CHW services in multiple settings. See the DHCS webpage on the CHW benefit for more information.