“California Governor Jerry Brown last week signed a law allowing federally funded health centers and rural clinics to bill Medi-Cal for the services of licensed marriage and family therapists.
The new law signed by the governor affects nearly 1,000 federally-funded and rural health clinics, according to the state analysis. The clinics accept patients regardless of their ability to pay and rely heavily on Medi-Cal reimbursements.
One of them, OLE Health, treats about 25,000 patients each year in Napa. CEO Tanir Ami said it’s been a challenge to find enough social workers to treat patients, many of whom have depression and anxiety, often exacerbated by poverty and inadequate housing.
“Now we get to recruit from a whole other pool of qualified candidates,” Ami said. “I am hoping it will make it exponentially easier to find the workforce we need.”
Read the California Healthline article here.
