Medi-Cal reimbursements: nonemergency ambulance and other transportation.

Assembly Member Michelle Rodriguez's Medi-Cal transportation legislation establishes new reimbursement rates for nonemergency ambulance services at 80% of Medicare fee schedule rates, adjusted by geographic cost factors, beginning July 1, 2027. The measure requires the Department of Health Care Services to create a managed care directed payment program maintaining equivalent minimum reimbursement levels for these services.

The bill expands medical necessity certification authority to include both physicians and qualified nonphysicians under federal regulations, applying this change across fee-for-service and managed care delivery systems. For mileage documentation, transportation providers may now use GPS tracking, digital mapping applications, or other department-approved technologies alongside traditional odometer readings.

Implementation depends on legislative appropriations, with the Department directed to maximize federal financial participation before utilizing state funds. The Department may execute these changes through provider bulletins and similar guidance without additional regulatory procedures. These provisions apply specifically to ground ambulance transportation for nonemergency medical services as defined in existing state regulations, excluding emergency medical transport services.