Inventory of the California Medical Assistance Commission Records

Processed by David O'Brien
California State Archives
1020 "O" Street
Sacramento, California 95814
Phone: (916) 653-2246
Fax: (916) 653-7363
Email: ArchivesWeb@sos.ca.gov
URL: http://www.sos.ca.gov/archives/
© 2009
California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Inventory of the California Medical Assistance Commission Records

Collection number: R184

California State Archives

Office of the Secretary of State

Sacramento, California
Processed by:
David O'Brien
Date Completed:
May 2009
Encoded by:
Jessica Knox
© 2009 California Secretary of State. All rights reserved.

Descriptive Summary

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

Administrative Information

Access

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."

Publication Rights

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.

Preferred Citation

[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.

Administrative History

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).

Scope and Content

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

Indexing Terms

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


R184.01, Box 1/1-Box 5/33a

Series 1 Meeting Files 1983-2007

Physical Description: 134 file folders and 2 compact discs

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by date of meeting.

Access Information

This series contains both restricted and unrestricted minutes and meeting files. The restricted documents are from the closed sessions (1983-1993), and are exempt from disclosure in accordance with Government Code, Section 7926.215 (formerly Gov. Code section 6254.14(a)) of the California Public Records Act. This code section prohibits the release of documents that 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."
The unrestricted documents are the agendas and minutes from the public meetings of the Commission. These public meeting notices and minutes are available in paper and electronic format for the years 1983 to 1993. For the years 1994 to 2007, the public meeting materials are available only as PDF files. The files are on two compact discs (1983-2005 and 2006-2007).

Scope and Content Note

Meeting files consist of agendas and minutes of both the public (open) and private (closed) sessions of the California Medical Assistance Commission (CMAC) meetings, as well as the contents of information packets given to members of the Commission by CMAC staff. These packets contain updates on hospital contract negotiations, correspondence from hospitals and other government agencies, and press clippings regarding medical services in California.
R184.02, Box 5/34-Box 8/11

Series 2 Chronological Correspondence 1988-1992

Physical Description: 36 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically by month.

Access Information

This series 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."

Scope and Content Note

Chronological correspondence consists of letters to and from the Commission staff, as well as interoffice memoranda to Commissioners from staff. Most correspondence relates to ongoing hospital contract negotiations, including letters from elected officials at the state and local level lobbying on behalf of local hospitals in their communities. Also included are correspondence relating to non-contract subjects, such as Commissioners announcing their retirement.
R184.03, Box 8/12-Box 8/16

Series 3 Chairman Correspondence 1988-1991

Physical Description: 5 file folders

Arrangement

Arranged chronologically.

Access Information

This series 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."

Scope and Content Note

Chairman correspondence consists of correspondence to and from Robert Walker, who chaired the Commission from 1988 to 1991. Included are letters to and from various hospitals and health care providers with whom the Commission was negotiating, as well as state legislators and other elected officials lobbying on behalf of hospitals in their districts, as well as memoranda to and from Commission staff and other Commission members.