CMS Approves California Medicaid SPA For Community-Based Mobile Crisis Intervention

On July 20, 2023, the California Medicaid program received federal approval from the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) for a state plan amendment (SPA) to add mobile behavioral health crisis intervention services as a new state plan benefit effective January 1, 2023. Community-based mobile crisis intervention services provide rapid response, individual assessment and community-based stabilization to Medi-Cal beneficiaries who are experiencing a behavioral health crisis (mental health and/or drug-related). Through the benefit, California will receive an enhanced federal Medicaid matching rate for mobile crisis services delivered to Medicaid beneficiaries.

The state defines mobile . . .