Since January 1, 2022, Medi-Cal members’ pharmacy services have been primarily managed by the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) through their Medi-Cal Rx program. However, there is one exception: HPSM still covers physician administered drugs (PADs), which are medicines that providers administer to patients in an office or clinic setting. You may need pre-approval (prior authorization) from HPSM for coverage of PADs based on medical necessity.
HEALTHmattersMD
Welcome to the HEALTHmattersMD blog—an online resource where providers can find the latest news and updates about HPSM. Top stories are highlighted with images, and you can find more stories listed under them. To read a story, just click the headline or the "Read more" link. In the side menu, you can also select articles by topic or see our newsletter archive and provider notices.
Top Stories
Register for the Provider Portal: It’s Required!
#ResourceNotFound: BlogPostResources, Published# Feb 28, 2026, 11:39 AM by Rich Brenner
Provider’s office administrators must register for HPSM’s provider portal to attest digitally through the new Provider Data Accuracy Tool. Read more
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Supporting Members Who Lose Their Dental Benefit This July
Jun 9, 2026, 11:54 AM by Rich BrennerThis is a network-wide change that may impact your patients. Read about information that may help you answer your impacted patient's questions.
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Talking Your Patients Through Vaccine Hesitancy
Jun 9, 2026, 12:04 PM by Rich BrennerConversations about vaccination can be challenging and time-consuming, but the recent rise in vaccine-related illness makes it clear that these conversations must happen
More stories
Medi-Cal: HPSM Still Covers Physician Administered Drugs
May 31, 2023, 2:19 PM
by Mat Thomas