(a) The department shall implement the State Plan Dental Improvement Program in accordance with the CalAIM Terms and Conditions and as described in this section, with the goal of further improving accessibility of Medi-Cal dental services and oral health outcomes for statewide and targeted populations, as a successor program to the Dental Transformation Initiative described in Section 14184.70.

(b) Commencing no sooner than January 1, 2022, subject to subdivision (f) of Section 14184.102, both of the following shall be covered Medi-Cal benefits for the specified populations, when medically necessary and subject to utilization controls:

(1) Caries Risk Assessment bundle for eligible children 0 to 6 years of age, inclusive.

(2) Silver diamine fluoride for eligible children 0 to 6 years of age, inclusive, and for eligible beneficiaries residing in skilled nursing facilities or intermediate care facilities or that receive services in facilities overseen by the State Department of Developmental Services, as determined by the department.

(c) (1) ? Commencing no sooner than January 1, 2022, subject to subdivision (f) of Section 14184.102, the department shall make supplemental payments to qualified dental providers for increased utilization of certain preventive dental services, and for the establishment or maintenance of beneficiary continuity of care through a dental home.

(2) The department shall develop the methodology for making supplemental payments pursuant to this subdivision, including, but not limited to, the eligibility criteria for receiving payments, the amount of payments, and the applicable preventive dental services that are eligible for payments.

(A) For payments for increased utilization of certain preventive services, the department shall make a supplemental payment to a qualified dental service office location for each eligible paid claim made for those Current Dental Terminology codes specified by the department and approved in the CalAIM Terms and Conditions. To the extent the department deems practicable, the supplemental payment shall be applied at the same time as the underlying eligible paid claim is made.

(B) For payments for the establishment or maintenance of beneficiary continuity of care through a dental home, the department shall make a supplemental payment to each eligible service office location statewide based on the number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries for which eligible paid claims were submitted using at least one of Current Dental Terminology exam codes, as specified by the department, in two or more consecutive calendar years.

(d) To the extent permissible under federal law and authorized under the CalAIM Terms and Conditions, for purposes of eligibility for payments described in this section, qualified dental providers may include safety net clinics that provide services defined under subdivision (a) or (b) of Section 14132.100. Supplemental payments made pursuant to this section to safety net clinics shall be considered separate and apart from either the Prospective Payment Service reimbursement for federally qualified health centers or rural health clinics, or Memorandum of Agreement reimbursement for Tribal Health Centers.

(e) The department shall seek federal approval of any state plan amendments it deems necessary to implement subdivisions (b) and (c).

(Added by Stats. 2021, Ch. 143, Sec. 402. (AB 133) Effective July 27, 2021.)