(a) (1) The department shall require any mental health plan that provides Medi-Cal specialty mental health services to enter into a memorandum of understanding with any Medi-Cal managed care plan that provides Medi-Cal health services to some of the same Medi-Cal recipients served by the mental health plan. The memorandum of understanding shall comply with applicable regulations.

(2) For purposes of this section, a “Medi-Cal managed care plan” means any prepaid health plan or Medi-Cal managed care plan contracting with the department to provide services to enrolled Medi-Cal beneficiaries under Chapter 7 (commencing with Section 14000) or Chapter 8 (commencing with Section 14200), or Part 4 (commencing with Section 101525) of Division 101 of the Health and Safety Code.

(b) The department shall require the memorandum of understanding to include both of the following:

(1) A process or entity to be designated by the local mental health plan to receive notice of actions, denials, or deferrals from the Medi-Cal managed care plan, and to provide any additional information requested in the deferral notice as necessary for a medical necessity determination.

(2) A requirement that the local mental health plan respond by the close of the business day following the day the deferral notice is received.

(c) This section shall apply to any contracts entered into, amended, modified, extended, or renewed on or after January 1, 2001.

(Amended by Stats. 2019, Ch. 465, Sec. 13. (AB 1642) Effective January 1, 2020. Conditionally inoperative as provided in Section 14721.)