Incentive Payment Program
Incentive Payment Program Funds for Current and Interested ECM and CS Providers
Under the Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) CalAIM Initiative (California Advancing and Innovating in Medi-Cal), health plans are poised to work closely with health care partners to ensure that Medi-Cal members have the tools and support needed to achieve optimal health outcomes.
Enhanced Care Management (ECM) is a new benefit made available to vulnerable members with the intent of supporting intensive wrap-around health and social service navigation. The goal of the ECM benefit is to provide comprehensive care and achieve better health outcomes for our most vulnerable members. CenCal Health went live with the ECM benefit in July of 2022, and looks forward to working with our provider and community partners to build and expand capacity for ECM services.
Also available through CalAIM are Community Supports (CS), which are services that help address Members’ health-related social needs, help them live healthier lives, and avoid higher, costlier levels of care. CS services are medically appropriate and cost-effective alternative services designed to help avoid or substitute traditional medical services and settings such as hospital or nursing facility admission, discharge delays, or emergency department use. Community Supports are optional for health plans to provide, as they are currently not funded by DHCS and are instead intended to offset avoidable medical costs. CenCal Health currently offers fourteen CS services:
- Medically Tailored Meals
- Recuperative Care
- Housing Transition Navigation Services
- Housing Deposits
- Housing Tenancy and Sustaining Services
- Sobering Centers
- Personal Care and Homemaker Services
- Day Habilitation
- Short-Term Post Hospitalization
- Respite Services
- Asthma Remediation
- Community Transition Services/Nursing Facility Transition to Home
- Environmental Accessibility Adaption (Home Modifications)
- Nursing Facility Transition/Diversion to Assisted Living Facility
More information on ECM and Community Supports can be found on the CenCal Health CalAIM webpage.
To learn more about IPP, email our IPP department.
Currently, the IPP applications are closed.
Incentive Payment Program Funding
To support providers and community partners in building, launching, and expanding ECM and CS services, DHCS has made available a provider incentive program, called the Incentive Payment Program (IPP). IPP funds are issued from DHCS to health plans, and from health plans to providers. CenCal Health has IPP incentive funds available for distribution to current and potential ECM and CS providers to support the development and expansion of ECM and CS services. CenCal Health seeks to build and expand capacity for ECM and CS services, especially for those services for which we have a current geographic or member-specific need.
IPP funding may be used toward one time or ongoing activities, including:
- Staffing support (recruitment, retention, etc.)
- Infrastructure or capital investment (equipment, building expansion, etc.)
- Data/Information Technology development or enhancement
- Training and ongoing education for staff
- Ongoing operations
CenCal Health is in receipt of $26.2M State-allocated funds which have been awarded for IPP. As of June 1, 2025, CenCal Health has allocated $19.8M to providers and community partners to build, launch, and expand ECM and CS services.