The Department of Health Care Services has announced the conversion of adult day health care centers to a managed care system has been divided into a two-part process.

About 12% of the centers, which serve about 8% of the state’s ADHC population, will still make the conversion to managed care by July 1. That leaves the bulk of the centers — including Los Angeles County centers which  serve two-thirds of the state’s Medi-Cal beneficiariens receiving ADHC care — to make the transition three months later, on Oct. 1.

“It was really welcome news,” said Lydia Missaelides, executive director of the California Association of Adult Day Services. “It was clear nobody was ready yet. I think the Department [of Health Care Services] has been listening to stakeholders. I was really relieved. Not that October is so far away, but this is definitely good news.”

DHCS officials, in a written release, said the initial phase-in would help inform the larger implementation in October.

“The period between now and October provides ample time for enrollment processes to run their course so participants are smoothly transitioned into managed care,” the release said.

There are a number of outstanding issues, according to Berdj Karapetian, executive director of the Association of Adult Day Health Centers. For instance, the state has determined that all for-profit centers need to switch to not-for-profit status to be eligible CBAS providers but DHCS has not yet released guidelines on those requirements, he said.

“It is good that the state has postponed it a little,” Karapetian said. “It’d be better if it were delayed to the timing of the duals conversion, because there will be confusion about this, there will definitely be confusion.”