Medi-Cal reimbursement has been permitted by New Bill for therapists

In accordance to the legislation signed by the California governor previous month, several North State health centers will be capable to expand on mental health services by employing Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists to offer counseling.

In the last years, health centers held off from hiring the therapists, who are also famous to b termed as LMFTs, because there was no chance to bill for their services via the Medi-Cal. But the passage of Assembly Bill 1863 now provides health centers the mechanism to do so.

Numerous North State health centers expect to get some therapists on board by the next year when the law goes into effect.

In accordance to Dean Germano, chief executive officer of Shasta Community Health Center, said, “New bill is a welcome change”.

In rural areas there are not enough Licensed Clinical Social Workers to give these services, but there is more chance to employ LMFTs in their place, in accordance to Germano.

Many mental health diagnoses are made during the visit with the primary care physician, and having an LMFT on board would serve as an extra hand to assist triage anyone with a mental health problem, says Germano. They will be seeking to get a therapist on board their team by the every next year.

A search unveils that there are more than 240 LMFTs that are not interns, licensed to practice in Shasta County, in contrast to Licensed Clinical Social Workers, which indicates a little more than 100 licensed in the place, in accordance to California Board of Behavioral Sciences.

Assemblyman Jim Wood of Healdsburg authored the bill that primarily benefits Federally Qualified Health Centers like Shasta Community Health Center, Mountain Valley Health Centers, Hill Country Community Clinic and Shingletown Medical Center, which were launched up in rural medically underserved places, and aids to give primary care and few supportive services, deployed on sufferers’ ability to pay.

“The bill's passage was something they had been waiting for”, said Chief Executive Officer Tami Fraser at Shingletown Medical Center.

​Fraser claimed that they will expand on their social worker's role to involve home visits by the very next year, for those sufferers who have problems with transport and have a LMFT handle the office.