All new Alliance members must receive an Initial Health Appointment (IHA). The IHA consists of a history, physical and mental health exam, identification of risk, preventive services, health education, and diagnosis and plan for treatment of any disease. For Medi-Cal members, this must be completed within 120 days of plan enrollment. Alliance network PCP compliance will be assessed during site audits.
The IHA should consist of an evaluation sufficient to enable Alliance network PCPs to assess the acute, chronic, and preventive health needs of the member and assume responsibility for effective management of the member’s health care service needs.
For children, the IHA must consist of the elements found in the most recent periodicity schedule recommended by Bright Futures/American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). PCPs must provide preventive health visits for all members through 21 years of age at times specified by the most recent AAP periodicity schedule. The IHA must bring members up to date with all currently recommended preventive services and include all assessment components required by AAP.