REPORT/RECOMMENDATION TO THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS
OF SAN BERNARDINO COUNTY
AND RECORD OF ACTION
June 18, 2025
FROM
GEORGINA YOSHIOKA, Director, Department of Behavioral Health
SUBJECT
Title
Contracts for Fee-For-Service Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services
End
RECOMMENDATION(S)
Recommendation
Approve contracts with the following agencies, for the provision of Fee-For-Service Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services, in the total aggregate amount not to exceed $60,869,390, for the contract period of July 1, 2025, through June 30, 2030:
1. Community Hospital of San Bernardino
2. Aurora Charter Oak Hospital
3. Canyon Ridge Hospital, Inc. dba Canyon Ridge Hospital
(Presenter: Georgina Yoshioka, Director 252-5142)
Body
COUNTY AND CHIEF EXECUTIVE OFFICER GOALS & OBJECTIVES
Provide for the Safety, Health and Social Service Needs of County Residents.
Pursue County Goals and Objectives by Working with Other Agencies and Stakeholders.
FINANCIAL IMPACT
This item does not impact Discretionary General Funding (Net County Cost). The total aggregate amount not to exceed $60,869,390 will be funded by 1991 Realignment funds. Adequate appropriation and revenue have been included in the Department of Behavioral Health’s (DBH) recommended 2025-26 budget and will be included in future recommended budgets.
BACKGROUND INFORMATION
DBH is responsible for providing mental health and substance use disorder (SUD) services to county residents experiencing severe mental illness (SMI) and/or SUD. DBH entered into a contract with the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) as a Mental Health Plan (MHP) established under Assembly Bill 757 (AB 757), in January 1995. As an MHP, DBH is responsible for providing access to high quality specialty mental health services for Medi-Cal beneficiaries in the most cost-effective manner possible.
AB 757 allowed for the phased implementation of managed mental health care for Medi-Cal beneficiaries through Short-Doyle Medi-Cal and Fee-For-Service (FFS) contracts with MHPs and standardized the requirements for all MHPs that participate in the Medi-Cal Specialty Mental Health Service Consolidation Program. As a result of the contract with the State and pursuant to AB 757 and related regulations, DBH must contract with area hospitals such as General Acute Care Hospitals and Acute Psychiatric Hospitals to provide psychiatric inpatient hospital services to Medi-Cal-eligible residents and uninsured persons.
Residents who qualify for services are those who are a danger to themself or to others, or who are gravely disabled because of a mental health condition necessitating psychiatric hospitalization.
FFS hospitals provide Psychiatric Inpatient Hospital Services and indigent care services to individuals with SMI at an appropriate level of care. The contracts outline the provision of care to county residents who are Medi-Cal members or indigent persons. The FFS hospitals indicated in the Recommendation have agreed to accept these populations for treatment, determine Medi-Cal eligibility, and bill Medi-Cal directly as appropriate. Indigent persons who are not covered by Medi-Cal will receive care under the County’s Indigent Care Services Program and the FFS hospitals will be reimbursed by DBH. It is anticipated a total of 9,002 bed days will be provided through these contracts.
Historically, DBH receives notification from the State indicating which hospitals have been designated FFS hospitals sometime between July and September each year. If the FFS hospital list received from the State annually is revised over the five-year contract period, DBH will make any necessary changes and return to the Board for approval.
PROCUREMENT
Purchasing supports the non-competitive procurement of psychiatric inpatient hospital services in accordance with State mandates. As the county’s designated MHP, DBH is required by Title 9 of CCR to contract with FFS hospitals meeting criteria specified therein.
REVIEW BY OTHERS
This item has been reviewed by Behavioral Health Contracts (Lisa Rivas-Ordaz, Contracts Supervisor, 383-3940) on May 5, 2025; County Counsel (Dawn Martin, Deputy County Counsel, 387-5455) on May 13, 2025; Purchasing (Jessica Barajas, Supervising Buyer, 387-2065) on May 14, 2025; Finance (Paul Garcia, Administrative Analyst, 386-8392) on June 6, 2025; and County Finance and Administration (Cheryl Adams, Deputy Executive Officer, 388-0238) on June 6, 2025.