The California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) recently announced that effective for dates of service on or after March 15, 2021, Medi-Cal has raised its payment rate for COVID-19 vaccine administration fee to $40 per dose, regardless of vaccine manufacturer. This represents an increase from about $45 to $80 for the two-shot combo.

According to DHCS, the system updates required to implement this maximum allowable reimbursement rate are forthcoming. Once the system is updated, affected claims submitted prior to the system update to the increased rate will be automatically reprocessed, retroactive to the effective date.