The announced Medi-Cal Rx implementation date, which was initially set for April 1, 2021, is postponed. (See a related Blog Post).
Magellan Haelth, Inc – a PBM that will administer the program – is in the process of being acquired by Centene Corporation. Centene operates managed care plans and pharmacies that participate in the Medi-Cal program. As a result, the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) is analyzing potential conflicts with Centene managing Medi-Cal Rx on behalf of the DHCS.
The DHCS has announced that this transition was unexpected and “requires additional time for exploration of acceptable conflict avoidance protocols to ensure that there will be acceptable firewalls between the corporate entities to protect the pharmacy claims data of all Medi-Cal beneficiaries, and to protect other proprietary information.” See DHCS’s announcement.
The DHCS is expected to provide additional information on the new implementation date in May. We will continue covering the progress towards this important transition.