Medi-Cal Community Care Hubs are centralized administrative entities that coordinate services among Medi-Cal providers, Medi-Cal managed care plans, and patients to address physical health, behavioral health, and health-related social needs of millions of Californians who receive health care through Medi-Cal. Hubs can facilitate access to new Medi-Cal services like Enhanced Care Management, Community Supports, the community health worker benefit, and doula services. These services are designed to be delivered by local, community-based pro­viders who understand the cultural and linguistic needs of their communities.

Why Do Medi-Cal Community Care Hubs Matter for Providers and Californians?

By working with hubs, Medi-Cal providers have an opportunity to streamline administration with man­aged care plans and to expand access to services for Californians. Providers can then focus more of their time on delivering whole-person care under the CalAIM (California Advancing and Innovating Medi-Cal) initia­tive, as well as extending community health worker and doula services to Californians.

What Are the Primary Roles of Medi-Cal Community Care Hubs?

• Expand provider networks and access to services. Hubs can help more local Medi-Cal providers, especially those new to Medi-Cal, contract with Medi-Cal managed care plans. This assistance is particularly important for community health workers, doulas, and other providers offering specialized services under CalAIM.
• Streamline administration. Hubs manage contracts, claims and bill processing, and data exchange between community-based organizations and Medi-Cal managed care plans. This offloading reduces administrative burdens for providers, enabling them to focus on delivering care to Medi-Cal patients.
• Support new Medi-Cal services for Californians. Hubs support implementation of Enhanced Care Management, which provides intensive care coordination for Medi-Cal members with complex needs, and Community Supports, which offer services addressing health-related social needs, such as housing support and medically tailored meals.

Looking Ahead: Opportunities for Improving Medi-Cal Community Care Hubs

Providers and managed care plans emphasize the need for clear policies, technical assistance, and funding to integrate their work with Medi-Cal Community Care Hubs and, ultimately, to improve access to culturally competent care for Medi-Cal enrollees. These needs include the following:

• Supporting collaboration and shared learning among hubs. Promoting opportunities for collaboration among hubs can improve Medi-Cal Community Care Hubs’ onboarding of new providers, managing claims, improving data reporting systems statewide, and reducing regional disparities.
• Engaging stakeholders to create a more equitable system. Continuous feedback from managed care plans, community-based organizations, and Medi-Cal patients will be key to refining the hub model and ensuring it meets the needs of Medi-Cal members, particularly those in underserved communities.
• Providing policy guidance supportive of the role of hubs. Creating supportive policy guidance that facilitates the thoughtful implementation of hubs in Medi-Cal managed care.