April 9, 2008 – At a recent Department of Managed Health Care (DMHC) conference call meeting, DMHC Work Group officials underlined the July 1, 2008, SB 853 deadline for California Health Plans. Avantpage is ready, knowledgeable and equipped to help your Plan meet this important regulatory deadline, as well as assist your Plan in developing and staying compliant with its Language Assistance Program.
 
According to the DMHC Language Assistance regulation, by July 1, 2008, every California Health Plan must file translated documents and information sufficient to demonstrate compliance, together with its amendment to its quality assurance program. Additionally, all materials filed with the DMHC that contain documents in non-English languages shall include:

During the April 3, 2008, conference call, a DMHC Work Group member stated that in addition to working on a checklist tool “that would provide guidance in what we would like you to submit in terms of documents,” it is also contemplating a “narrative list of questions that you would be asked to answer with associated document support.” She continued by stating that the July 1, 2008, filing will “give more insight into how the language assistance program would actually work in your organization … The reason that we would like a combination of document submissions and a question-and-answer kind of [narrative] format is to make sure that what you file in July is very meaningful and is efficient in terms of being able to review and get a flavor for your program, and to be able to turn around our comments and approval in a timely fashion for you.”

Call Avantpage today at 530-750-2040 and get your California Health Plan ready for its July 1, 2008, regulatory filing with the DMHC!


To learn more about complying with SB 853, read our white paper “Language Assistance Translation – Complying with California Senate Bill 853.” Just go to the Avantpage home page at www.avantpage.com and click on “Resources.”