Acentra Health Awarded $27.5 Million Contract from California Medicaid to Continue Providing Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) Services

April 29, 2025 at 09:34 AM EDT

MCLEAN, Va., April 29, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Acentra Health, a technology and health solutions and services company dedicated to accelerating better outcomes for its government and commercial healthcare clients and the populations they serve, today announced it has been awarded a two-year $27.5 million contract, with one option year, from the California Department of Health Care Services (DHCS) to continue delivering Level I initial screenings and Level II evaluations for serious mental illness as part of the state’s Preadmission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) program for long-term care.

The new contract, awarded through a competitive procurement process, builds on the company’s work as a trusted partner delivering PASRR and other services for California Medicaid since 2015.

PASRR is a federally mandated screening process that determines if applicants to Medicaid-certified long-term care nursing facilities have a serious mental illness, intellectual disability, developmental disability, or related condition. Individuals identified as having one or more of these conditions undergo a PASRR Level II evaluation to ensure they receive services in the least restrictive settings possible.

“We are honored to be selected again by the California Department of Health Care Services as their vital partner for PASRR services and applaud their efforts to protect and support individuals with complex behavioral health needs,” said Todd Stottlemyer, Acentra Health CEO. “Acentra Health is proud of our 23-year history providing PASRR services nationwide and sees this award as a reflection of our proven track record for delivering impactful, value-driven solutions for all our PASRR clients.”

California operates the largest PASRR program in the nation, with Acentra Health conducting approximately 233,000 initial screenings and 18,000 Level II evaluations for the state each year. Since the initial contract began, Acentra Health has partnered with DHCS to streamline clinical workflows and improve program efficiencies, aligning with California’s commitment to fiscal responsibility and program integrity. These innovations have helped California achieve some of the nation’s fastest PASRR turnaround times – averaging fewer than two calendar days across all assessments – well below federal benchmarks.

The California award follows the recent addition of two states to Acentra Health’s PASRR portfolio, expanding the company’s footprint to eight states. The company was selected to provide PASRR Level II assessments by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, with an effective go-live of April 1, 2025, and by the Washington State Health Care Authority, with an effective go-live of July 1, 2024.

Acentra Health has more than 30 years of experience evaluating and assessing the medical necessity needs for Medicaid program beneficiaries. As part of its PASRR services, the company delivers reliable, timely, and clinically valid recommendations and determinations that protect the interests of individuals while ensuring state compliance with federal requirements. Acentra Health’s services include Level I screening, Level II evaluation, determination and notification processing, a comprehensive PASRR IT system, and extensive daily and monthly reporting.

About Acentra Health

Acentra Health combines public sector knowledge, clinical expertise, and technological ingenuity to modernize the healthcare experience for state, federal, and commercial partners, and their priority populations. From designing and developing advanced claims, encounter, and provider solutions that drive efficiency and cost savings to delivering clinically focused service models for care management, clinical assessments, and quality oversight, Acentra Health is accelerating better health outcomes. Acentra Health is backed by Carlyle (NASDAQ: CG), a global investment firm. Learn more at acentra.com.

Media Contact:
Janice Moore
Vice President, Corporate Communications
703-214-3552