1. Bivalent Booster Dose Approved for Select COVID-19 Vaccines
Effective for dates of service on or after August 31, 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an Emergency Use Authorization (EUA) for a Bivalent booster formulation for the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, to be administered at least two months after either primary vaccination or booster dose with any authorized/approved monovalent COVID-19 vaccine, to the follow groups:
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine
Individuals 12 years of age or older as a single booster dose.
Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine
Individuals 18 years of age and older as a single booster dose.
For the most current direction regarding billing guidelines for the administration of the Bivalent booster dose, refer to the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and Moderna COVID-19 Vaccine web pages.
For the most current information regarding Medi-Cal’s COVID-19 Response, see the COVID-19 Medi-Cal Response page on the Medi-Cal Provider website.
2. Removal of Outdated Manual Sections and Addition of DPH Manual Sections
Effective retroactively on or after July 1, 2013, payment for inpatient general acute care hospitals (which do not participate in certified public expenditure reimbursement) has been based on a diagnosis-related groups (DRG) reimbursement methodology. The following five sections were retained in the Medi-Cal provider manual to accommodate claims submitted prior to July 1, 2013, and non-DRG reimbursed claims. These sections are now retired:
- Contracted and Non-Contracted Inpatient Services
- Contracted Inpatient Services for Allied Health
- Contracted Inpatient Services for Medical Services
- Obstetrics: Revenue Codes and Billing Policy
- Obstetrics: UB-04 Billing Examples for Inpatient Services
Additionally, for information regarding Designated Public Hospitals (DPHs), i.e., those hospitals reimbursed through certified public expenditures (CPE) for acute inpatient care, the following three new provider manual sections have been added:
- Designated Public Hospital Inpatient Services
- Obstetrics: Revenue Codes and Billing Policy for Designated Public Hospitals
- Obstetrics: UB-04 Billing Examples for Inpatient Services: Designated Public Hospitals
3. Pasteurized Donor Human Breast Milk Billable with HCPCS code T2101
Human Milk Bank
Effective for dates of service on or after December 1, 2022, Medi-Cal covers medically necessary pasteurized donor human milk (PDHM) milk when obtained from a licensed and approved facility. There are two Human Milk banks in California:
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has Guidelines for Proper Storage and Preparation of Breast Milk and Human Milk storage guidelines on the Breastfeeding Guidelines & Recommendations page on the CDC website.
Billing Code
HCPCS code T2101 (human breast milk processing, storage and distribution only), to be billed per ounce.
Criteria
Medi-Cal providers can arrange for the provision of PHDM for newborns in at least one of following situations:
- Infant has documented birthweight of less than 1500 g
- A congenital or acquired condition places the infant at risk for necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) and/or infection
- Infant has a qualifying condition determined by the neonatologist or pediatrician
- Mother has a condition making their own milk insufficient in quantity or medically unsafe
- Mother’s milk must be contraindicated, unavailable (due to medical or psychological condition), or available but lacking in quantity or quality to meet the infant’s needs
According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, human milk provides health benefits for all newborn infants but is of particular importance for high-risk infants, especially those born with very low birth weight (less than 1500 g). Donor human milk also can be beneficial to supplement the mother’s own milk as necessary. Recent studies support health benefits for its use in infants with birthweight less than 1500 g., especially in decreasing rates of NEC.
4. Updates to the List of O&P Codes
Effective for dates of service on or after December 1, 2022, the list of Orthotics and Prosthetics (O&P) codes has updated to include the following HCPCS codes:
- L0120 (cervical, flexible, nonadjustable, prefabricated, off-the-shelf [foam collar])
- L5859 (addition to lower extremity prosthesis, endoskeletal knee-shin system, powered and programmable flexion/extension assist control, includes any type motor(s))
- L5990 (addition to lower extremity prosthesis, user adjustable heel height)
For the reimbursement rates of orthotic and prosthetic appliances, providers should refer to the Medi-Cal Rates page on the Medi-Cal Providers website.
5. Get the Latest Medi-Cal News: Subscribe to MCSS Today
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!
- Go to the MCSS Subscriber Form
- Enter your email address and ZIP code and select a subscriber type
- 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.
6. Provider Manual Revisions
Pages updated due to ongoing provider manual revisions:
Note:
Download PDF (Portable Document Format) reader from the
Web Tool Box.
