Effective for dates of service on or after December 1, 2018, depression screening is reimbursable under Medi-Cal as an outpatient service. Screening should be implemented with adequate systems in place to ensure accurate diagnosis, effective treatment options including referral to mental health specialists and appropriate follow-up.

Billing Codes
The following chart lists procedure codes that must be used when billing for depression screening:

Recipient Category	Positive Depression Screen	Negative Depression Screen
Pregnant or postpartum	G8431 with modifier HD	G8510 with modifier HD
Age 12 and older, not pregnant or postpartum	G0444 with modifier KX	96127

Pregnant or Postpartum Recipients
Providers of prenatal care and postpartum care may submit claims twice per year per pregnant or postpartum recipient: once when the recipient is pregnant and once when she is postpartum. Screens that are positive for depression must be billed using HCPCS code G8431 (screening for depression is documented as being positive and a follow-up plan is documented) and modifier HD. Screens that are negative for depression must be billed using HCPCS code G8510 (screening for depression is documented as negative, a follow-up plan is not required) and modifier HD.

Postpartum Depression Screening at Well-Child Visits
Providers of well-child care may submit claims for a maternal depression screening up to four times during the infant's first year of life. Bright Futures recommends screening for maternal depression at the infant's one-month, two-month, four-month and six-month visits, with referral to the appropriate provider for further care if indicated. Screens that are positive for depression must be billed using HCPCS code G8431 and modifier HD. Screens that are negative for depression must be billed using HCPCS code G8510 and modifier HD. When a postpartum depression screening is provided at the infant's well-child visit, the screening must be billed using the infant's Medi-Cal ID. The only exception to this policy is that the mother's Medi-Cal ID may be used during the first two months of life if the infant's Medi-Cal eligibility has not yet been established.

Recipients Who Are Not Pregnant or Postpartum
Screening for depression is reimbursable for recipients 12 years of age or older who are not pregnant or postpartum, once per year, per recipient, per provider using HCPCS code G0444 (annual depression screening, 15 minutes) with modifier KX for a positive screen, and CPT code 96127 (brief emotional/behavioral assessment, with scoring and documentation, per standardized instrument) for a negative screen.

Screening Tools
Medi-Cal requires the use of a validated depression screening tool. Some examples include:

• Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9)


• Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS)


• Beck Depression Inventory (BDI)


• Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS)

This information is reflected in the following provider manual(s):

Provider Manual(s)	Page(s) Updated
AIDS Waiver Program Audiology and Hearing Aids Chronic Dialysis Clinics Durable Medical Equipment Expanded Access to Primary Care Program Local Educational Agency Medical Transportation Orthotics and Prosthetics Therapies Vision Care	modif app (11)
General Medicine Clinics and Hospitals	eval (27–30); medne neu (8); modif app (11); non ph (10, 23); preg early (2); preg post (4); presum bill (14); spec (1)
Home Health Agencies/Home and Community-Based Services	modif app (11); preg post (4)
Inpatient Services	preg post (4)
Obstetrics	eval (27–30); modif app (11); non ph (10, 23); preg early (2); preg post (4); presum bill (14)
Pharmacy	presum bill (14)
Psychological Services	psychol (1); psychol ex (1); spec (1)
Rehabilitation Clinics	modif app (11); non ph (10, 23)

The sign language interpreter services code conversion will replace HCPCS Level III local codes, commonly referred to as local codes, with HIPAA-compliant HCPCS Level II national codes. This billing requirement for sign language interpreter services is mandated by HIPAA and is effective for claims with dates of service on or after January 1, 2019.

For claims with dates of service on or after January 1, 2019, the sign language interpreter services code conversion will be replacing HCPCS Level III local codes Z0324 and Z0326 with HCPCS Level II national code T1013 (sign language or oral interpretive services, per 15 minutes).

As of January 1, 2019, HCPCS Level III local codes Z0328 and Z0329 used to bill for sign language interpreter services will no longer be reimbursable.

Sign language interpreter services are a benefit to facilitate effective communication with deaf or hearing-impaired Medi-Cal recipients. Recipients are not eligible to receive sign language interpreter services in a health facility that is required by law to provide sign language interpreter services.

Providers are encouraged to watch for sign language interpreter service updates in the NewsFlash area of the Medi-Cal website and in the monthly Medi-Cal Update. Providers may complete the Medi-Cal Subscription Service (MCSS) Form to receive timely notifications related to sign language interpreter services.

For additional information, providers may:

• View the Sign Language Interpreter Code Conversion Billing Instructions and Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs). Additional information for this project will publish as details are determined.


• Visit the Miscellaneous Services section of the HIPAA: Code Conversions page.


• Request additional onsite or telephone support via the Telephone Service Center (TSC) at 1-800-541-5555, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., Monday through Friday, except holidays. Border providers and out-of-state billers submitting claims for in-state providers call (916) 636-1200. Providers calling from outside of California call the Out of-State Provider Unit at (916) 636-1960.


• For electronic claim submission questions, contact the TSC at 1-800-541-5555, select option “4” for the Technical Help Desk and option “2” for Computer Media Claims (CMC).

Questions regarding the sign language interpreter services code conversion may be submitted via email to CAMMISCodeConversion@conduent.com.

California Children’s Services (CCS) and Genetically Handicapped Persons Program (GHPP) providers can now submit Service Authorization Requests (SARs) in an electronic format (eSAR) with attachments. Attachments must be in format of PDF, JPG or TIF. Attachments must be less than 15 megabytes (MB) in size, with the sum of all attachments being less than 150 MB. This feature aims to eliminate the paper SAR process for providers with internet connectivity.

To submit eSARs, providers must:

• Register, or already be registered, as an active Medi-Cal provider


• Have access to the Provider Electronic Data Interchange (PEDI) website


• Register, and be approved, as a trading partner with the Department of Health Care Services, Integrated Systems of Care Division, Children’s Medical Services Network (CMS Net) by agreeing to all the terms and conditions contained within the eSAR Trading Partner Agreement

Then, select one of the available options to submit:

• Utilize the enhanced online fillable form of the PEDI system to submit eSARs with the attachment


• Generate and submit one of the supported file-based transmission formats:


• Web-based file upload utility in the eSAR system to submit ASC X12 275/278 transactions


• Simple Object Access Protocol (SOAP)/Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTPPS) secure web services method to transmit and receive ASC X12 275/278 transactions

Registered providers and clearinghouses can complete and submit the eSAR requests on behalf of the providers and facilities in their network.

Paper SAR submissions remain an option for low-volume SAR providers or submitters who may have technical limitations or practical reasons to do so.

Providers interested in learning more about eSAR submissions should contact the CMS Net Help Desk at cmshelp@dhcs.ca.gov or 1-866-685-8449 for helpful guidance and additional information.

This information is reflected in the following provider manual(s):

Provider Manual(s)	Page(s) Updated
Audiology and Hearing Aids Chronic Dialysis Clinics Clinics and Hospitals Durable Medical Equipment General Medicine Home Health Agencies/Home and Community-Based Services Inpatient Services Local Educational Agency Medical Transportation Obstetrics Orthotics and Prosthetics Pharmacy Psychological Services Rehabilitation Clinics Therapies Vision Care	cal child sar (12); genetic (4)

The Medi-Cal Subscription Service (MCSS) is a free service that keeps you up-to-date on the latest Medi-Cal news. Subscribers receive subject-specific emails shortly after urgent announcements and other updates post on the Medi-Cal website.

Subscribing is simple and free!

1. Go to the MCSS Subscriber Form


2. Enter your email address and ZIP code and select a subscriber type


3. Customize your subscription by selecting subject areas for NewsFlash announcements, Medi-Cal Update bulletins and/or System Status Alerts

After submitting the form, a welcome email will be sent to the provided email address. If you are unable to locate the welcome email in your inbox, check your junk email folder.

For more information about MCSS, please visit the MCSS Help page.