CalAIM, the multiyear effort to reform the state’s Medi-Cal system, is now in its second year. To better understand how its many separate initiatives are progressing, CHCF recently held a series of focus groups with people on the ground implementing CalAIM programs.

In the groups, participants highlighted both a sense of optimism about the program and a range of ongoing challenges. At the top of the list are the absence of standardized processes, a lack of information and awareness about CalAIM among providers, and work needed to build and strengthen relationships between managed care plans and providers new to Medi-Cal.

People also shared some local bright spots, such as some managed care plans creating dedicated CalAIM teams, examples of process standardization, and improved data exchange. The Department of Health Care Services is monitoring implementation closely and recently announced a set of policy changes (PDF) that address many of the challenges voiced in the focus groups.

The full report, CalAIM Experiences: Implementer Views After First Year of Reforms, is available in Document Downloads below. Each finding in the report includes quotations from focus group participants.