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Inventory of the California Medical Assistance Commission Records
R184
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Title: California Medical Assistance Commission Records
Dates: 1983-2007
Collection number: R184
Creator:
California Medical Assistance Commission
Collection Size:
8 cubic feet
Repository:
California State Archives
Sacramento, California
Abstract: The California Medical Assistance Commission was established by Chapter 329 of the Statutes of 1982. The Commission's purpose
is to contract with health care service providers to deliver health care services to Medi-Cal recipients. The records of
the California Medical Assistance Commission contain 8 cubic feet of textual records, spanning the years 1988 through 1993.
Physical location: California State Archives
Languages:
Languages represented in the collection:
English
This record group is restricted in accordance with Government Code, section 7926.215 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254.14(a))
of the California Public Records Act, which prohibits the California Medical Assistance Commission from publicly releasing
documents which detail "health care services contract negotiations, and that reveal the deliberative processes, discussions,
communications, or any other portion of the negotiations, including, but not limited to, records related to those negotiations
such as meeting minutes, research, work product, theories, or strategy of the department, or its staff."
For permission to reproduce or publish, please contact the California State Archives. Permission for reproduction or publication
is given on behalf of the California State Archives as the owner of the physical items. The researcher assumes all responsibility
for possible infringement which may arise from reproduction or publication of materials from the California State Archives
collections.
[Identification of item], California Medical Assistance Commission, R184.[Series Number], [box and folder number], California
State Archives, Office of the Secretary of State, Sacramento, California.
Acquisition and Custodial History
The California State Archives acquired the California Medical Assistance Commission Records according to state law.
The major functions of the Commission are to direct and review proposed contracts for Medi-Cal services negotiated by the
Executive Director of the Commission. These contracts may be negotiated with hospitals, county health systems and health care
plans (e.g., insurance companies, prepaid health plans, independent practice associations and university medical centers).
The Commission itself does not negotiate contracts; its Executive Director does, and the members of the Commission then have
twenty days to either reject or propose amendments to any contracts. It is estimated that, through the contract negotiation
process, the Commission saves the State General Fund $850 million annually, and has saved the state $11 billion since its
establishment.
Chapter 749 of the Statutes of 1995 authorized the Commission to work with the Department of Corrections to assist in planning
and negotiating contracts for the purchase of health care services for state prison inmates. The Commission is authorized
to either consult with the Department or to negotiate directly with health care providers on behalf of the Department, depending
on mutual agreement between the two.
The Commission is composed of seven voting members appointed to four-year terms. Three are appointed by the Governor, two
by the Senate President Pro Tempore and two by the Speaker of the Assembly. In addition, there are two ex officio members:
the Directors of the Department of Health Care Services and the Department of Finance.
As of 2009, The Commission was still active and met twice a month. During the period covered by these records (1988-1993),
the chairs of the Commission were Robert Walker (1988-1991) and Frederick L. Shanbour (1991-1993).
The records of the California Medical Assistance Commission contain 8 cubic feet of textual records and 2 compact discs, spanning
the years 1983 through 2007. They are organized into three series: Meeting Files, Chronological Correspondence, and Chairman
Correspondence.
Most files in this collection relate to the Commission's ongoing contract negotiations with hospitals and health care service
providers, such as memoranda between the Commission members and their staff, correspondence from the hospitals and providers,
financial statements from the providers, and transcripts of testimony given before the Commission. Also included are drafts
of the Commission's annual report to the Legislature on its activities, correspondence from the Governor and members of the
Legislature regarding appointments to the Commission, and letters of resignation from members leaving the Commission.
Researchers looking for insight into state policy regarding the Medi-Cal program and health care in general will find little
of interest in this collection. Nearly all files relate to technical issues such as how much the state was willing to pay,
and how much hospitals and health service providers were attempting to receive, for providing key Medi-Cal services and benefits.
Related Collections at the California State Archives
Assembly Special Committee on Medi-Cal Oversight Records
Department of Health Services Records
The following terms have been used to index the description of this collection in
the library's online public access catalog.
California Medical Assistance Commission
California Medical Assistance Program
Medical care