How Enhanced Care Management can help children and youth on Medi-Cal

Enhanced Care Management (ECM) offers extra services at no cost to children and youth on Medi-Cal who may need more support. This may be due to housing concerns; having mental health or addiction concerns; transitioning from a correctional facility; and more. ECM is in addition to other benefits and services the child or youth may already have. Enrolling children and youth in ECM gives them access to many programs, providers and support teams.

Once enrolled in the ECM program, the child or youth will have a care team and an ECM lead care manager as the main point of contact for all their needs.

ECM lead care managers work with:

  • Doctors and specialists
  • Nurses
  • Pharmacists
  • Medical equipment companies
  • Case managers through a community or county program
  • Therapists
  • Family members

ECM offers five types of services that can help with their health and well-being. These extra services are part of their current California Health & Wellness Medi-Cal plan benefits. The Medi-Cal services they get now will remain. They can still see the same doctors, but now they can get extra help. You can stop ECM services at any time by calling California Health & Wellness.

ECM is for Medi-Cal Managed Care Health Plan Members

The child or youth must be enrolled in a Medi-Cal health plan to access ECM services. If you need help enrolling the child or youth into a Medi-Cal health plan, you can call the State's Medi-Cal Health Care Options at 800-430-4263.

Five ways ECM works for children and youth


1. Helps to stay engaged in the child or youth's care

The ECM lead care manager and care team will help focus on the child or youth's health and make sure they receive the services and support they need. The lead care manager can also meet the child or youth where they live or where they receive services.


2. Helps to craft a plan

The member, the family and the care team work together to develop the child or youth's care plan. The plan includes:

  • Treating physician(s)/ provider(s)
  • Goal setting
  • Recommended services
  • Recommended care needs
  • Physical and behavioral health needs
  • Oral health needs
  • Substance use treatment needs
  • Neighborhood and social services (e.g., developmental services)


3. Helps to connect with and update the child or youth's doctors

The care team includes a lead care manager. This person keeps all the child or youth's doctors up to date on their health and the services they receive. The care team can also help:

  • Figure out the child or youth's health needs and developmental milestones
  • Make appointments and check on prescriptions and refills
  • Find the right doctors


4. Helps to work with the child or youth's support people

Helps work with the child's identified supports so their care team can make sure their family, caregivers and others who support the child or youth can work together to learn how to best help them.


5. Helps connect the child or youth to community and social services

ECM can help get the child or youth linked to other nonhealth services, too. The care team can help the child or youth find community and social programs that they may need. These include:

  • Public benefits
  • Appointments
  • Child development services

Learn how to get help from ECM programs:

  1. Download our brochure:
  2. Call California Health & Wellness at 1-877-658-0305 (TTY: 711)
    Monday–Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Pacific time.
  3. Call the State's Medi-Cal Health Care Options at 800-430-4263
    (TTY: 800-430-7077)
  4. Ask your doctor or clinic about the benefit.