Volume 8 | January - March 2025

Quarterly News and Updates

March 2025

The Office of Family Planning (OFP) newsletter gives you the latest resources, news, and information in family planning and family planning-related services to support your important work.

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The Family PACT Portal

Newly Launched Portal!

What Is the Family PACT Portal?

The Family Planning, Access, Care, and Treatment (Family PACT) client enrollment and transaction services transitioned to the Family PACT Portal. This platform is housed in the California Healthcare, Eligibility, Enrollment, and Retention System (CalHEERS), which is the home to the website where Medi-Cal and Covered California applicants and current members apply and renew their coverage. The Family PACT Portal is designed to simplify and streamline the eligibility process for Family PACT clients. The Family PACT Portal consists of the Client Portal and the Provider Portal.

The Client Portal is designed to enhance the user experience for applicants and clients by allowing them to easily create accounts, apply for Family PACT, and manage their enrollment status online.

The Provider Portal enables Family PACT providers to efficiently enroll and recertify clients.

To access the new portal, providers are required to update their site certifier contact information in the Provider Application and Validation for Enrollment (PAVE) portal to receive their login credentials.

Providers who do not have a current site certifier in PAVE are instructed to immediately email the Site Certifier first and last name and email address to providerservices@dhcs.ca.gov or call (916) 650-0414.

Create Site Certifier Account

Site Certifiers will receive an email titled "Create Your Family PACT Account - Action Needed." The email will include an access code valid for 24 hours to create an account. If the account is not created within that time, providers must contact OFP to obtain a new access code.

The current Health Access Programs (HAP) Client Eligibility System was permanently disabled on February 3, 2025. All client enrollments and transaction changes will now be processed exclusively through the new portal.

Create Provider Staff Account

Site Certifiers can provide access to other provider staff by entering their name and email into the Site Certifier Family PACT Portal Dashboard, which will email them an access code.

The invited staff must create their account using the link in the invitation email they receive.

Once their account is created, they will be able to enroll, recertify, and update client information.

Support

If you have trouble with resetting your account password or have blocked your account due to multiple failed one-time-password (OTP) attempts, contact the Covered California Service Center: (800) 906-8521.

For all other support questions, contact the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) OFP: (916) 650-0414 or Providerservices@dhcs.ca.gov.

Training

Providers have access to the following portal trainings in the Online Training Center:

Health Access Programs (HAP) Identification

Health Access Programs (HAP) cards are no longer being issued by the Fiscal Intermediary (FI) and will now be referred to as a HAP Identification Number.

HAP cards are now digitized and can be accessed and printed directly from the user’s Family PACT account via the Family PACT portal. The number can be printed or shown electronically on a mobile device when visiting a provider. Providers can print the card for the client, or the client may print it themselves.

Providers are responsible for returning any unused numbered HAP cards to the Fiscal Intermediary (FI) as soon as possible.

To return unused HAP cards, package the unused numbered HAP cards with a cover letter that includes your provider number or NPI used to order the cards. Mail the package via UPS or a similar service to the following address:

California MMIS Fiscal Intermediary

Attn: Print and Distribution Center

830 Stillwater Road

West Sacramento, CA 95605

Upcoming Events

Family PACT Provider Orientation

The mandatory virtual provider orientation is a live session conducted over Zoom that provides an overview of comprehensive family planning and resources, program benefits and services, client eligibility, provider responsibilities, and provider compliance. Only site certifiers (physician, physician assistant, certified nurse practitioner, or certified nurse midwife) who are responsible for overseeing the family planning services rendered may register to attend.

April 10, 2025
June 12, 2025
August 14, 2025
October 9, 2025
December 11, 2025

Contraception Is Health Care

This webinar explains why contraception is a vital component of healthcare for patients and their families. Learn how to proactively address contraception stigma and misinformation and how to advocate for contraceptive access among your colleagues, patients, and community.

Objectives:

Reproductive life planning in the U.S.
Person-centered counseling
Benefits vs. risk of contraception
Responding to patient concerns

Date:

March 19, 2025

Family PACT Bulletins

Update: Change in Procedure for Infants Enrolled Through the Newborn Gateway

Effective July 1, 2024, providers participating in Presumptive Eligibility are required to report births of newborns with linkage to Medi-Cal and Medi-Cal Access Infant Program (MCAIP), born in their facilities within 72 hours after birth or 24 hours after discharge, whichever is sooner. This is done through an electronic application located within the enrollment section of the Medi-Cal Provider Portal. Infants who qualify through the Newborn Gateway are eligible for full-scope coverage from their date of birth until their first birthday without a separate application and regardless of increases to household income.

January 2025 Family PACT Bulletin 208

Provider Manual Revisions

DHCS has updated information on the following pages in the Family PACT Policies, Procedures and Billing Instructions (PPBI) manual.

January 2025 Family PACT Bulletin 208

Provider Relations Directory (prov rel): page 2, 5-12

February 2025 Family PACT Bulletin 209

Discontinuation of HAP Cards for Family PACT With Transition to the Family PACT Portal

Effective January 13, 2025, Family PACT client eligibility and enrollment migrated from the Medi-Cal Provider Portal website to the Family PACT Portal. As part of this transition, HAP cards are no longer being issued by the Fiscal Intermediary (FI) and will now be referred to as a HAP Identification Number.

February 2025 Family PACT Bulletin 209