The California Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) is looking for providers willing to participate in interviews to help assess barriers and challenges providers experience in providing behavioral health services. In 2021, the DMHC Division of Plan Surveys began conducting investigations of all full-service commercial health plans regulated by DMHC identify systemic changes that could be made to improve the delivery of behavioral health care.

DMHC anticipates it will conduct an average of five investigations per year. The five health plans to be investigated in 2022 are:

• Alameda Alliance for Health
• Blue Cross of California (Anthem Blue Cross)
• Kaiser foundation Health Plan, Inc. (Kaiser Permanente)
• Sharp Health Plan
• Western Health Advantage

DMHC notes that these investigations will not include the Medi-Cal managed care population.

The department is looking for providers willing to participate in interviews conducted by DMHC as a component of the investigations of the above-listed five health plans. The interviews will help DMHC to gain a comprehensive understanding of provider-specific barriers and challenges. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, interviews conducted in 2022 will likely be via phone or video conferencing.

Providers who have elected not to contract with the above five health plans, or contracted providers who have experienced barriers and challenges providing behavioral health services to their patients within the past two years, and who wish to participate in these interviews should contact DMHC at ProviderBHI@dmhc.ca.gov or (279) 666-5858.