For purposes of this article, the following definitions shall apply:

(a) “Department” means the State Department of Health Care Services.

(b) “Federal guidelines” means all federal statutes, and all regulatory and policy guidelines issued by the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services regarding the Health Homes for Enrollees with Chronic Conditions option under Section 2703 of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (Affordable Care Act) (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396w-4), including the State Medicaid Director Letter issued on November 16, 2010.

(c) (1) “Health home” means a provider or team of providers designated by the department that satisfies all of the following:

(A) Meets the criteria described in federal guidelines.

(B) Offers a whole person approach, including, but not limited to, coordinating other available services that address needs affecting a participating individual’s health.

(C) Offers services in a range of settings, as appropriate, to meet the needs of an individual eligible for health home services.

(2) A lead provider may contract with Medi-Cal providers, including, but not limited to, a managed care health plan, a community clinic, a mental health plan, a hospital, physicians, a clinical practice or clinical group practice, a rural health clinic, a community health center, a community mental health center, substance use disorder treatment professionals, school-based health centers, community health workers, community-based service organizations, a home health agency, nurse practitioners, physician’s assistants, social workers, and other paraprofessionals, to the extent that contracting with these providers is allowed under federal Medicaid law. Health home providers shall also establish noncontractual relationships with, and provide linkages to, housing providers.

(3) For purposes of serving the population identified in subdivision (c) of Section 14127.3, the department may require a lead provider to be a physician, a community clinic, a mental health plan, a community-based organization, a county health system, or a hospital.

(4) The department may determine the model of health home it intends to create, including any entity, provider, or group of providers operating as a health team, as a team of health care professionals, or as a designated provider, as those terms are defined in Sections 256a-1 and 1396w-4(h)(5) and (h)(6) of Title 42 of the United States Code, respectively.

(d) “Health Home Program” means all of the state plan amendments and relevant waivers the department seeks and the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services approves.

(e) “Homeless” has the same meaning as that term is defined in Section 91.5 of Title 24 of the Code of Federal Regulations. A “chronically homeless individual” means a homeless individual with a condition limiting his or her activities of daily living who has been continuously homeless for a year or more, or had at least four episodes of homelessness in the past three years. For purposes of this article, an individual who is currently residing in transitional housing, as defined in Section 50675.2 of the Health and Safety Code, or who has been residing in permanent supportive housing, as defined in Section 50675.14 of the Health and Safety Code, for less than two years shall be considered a chronically homeless individual if the individual was chronically homeless prior to his or her residence.

(Added by Stats. 2013, Ch. 642, Sec. 2. (AB 361) Effective January 1, 2014.)