Guest Blog: Introducing the Psychiatric Physicians Alliance of California

As part of PRMS’ ongoing commitment to behavioral health, we are pleased to feature Randall Hagar, Psychiatric Physicians Alliance of California Policy Advocate and Principal of Empirical Policy, as a featured guest blogger this month. Mr. Hagar introduces the Alliance and shares its accomplishments and goals since its founding in 2020.

The Psychiatric Physicians Alliance of California (the Alliance) was designed to meet the needs of practicing psychiatrists while advocating for California’s psychiatrists and patients. As a focused Alliance guided by both veteran experts in mental health policy and psychiatric physicians who understand the critical importance of advocacy in a state as diverse as California, the Alliance carries on the tradition of mission-driven advocacy to achieve safer, fairer, and more equitable healthcare for all Californians.

For example, members of the Alliance team successfully prevented legislation threatening the safety, quality of care, and confidentiality of psychiatric services by: defeating seven psychologist prescribing authority bills in California since 1995; and defeating six attempts by the Medical Board of California to legislate access to psychiatric patient records without patient consent since 2010.

The Alliance also supports and achieves positive goals by:

• Mandating court-supervised treatment (Assisted Outpatient Treatment) in each county
• Achieving parity for telepsychiatry – health plans and Medi-Cal are required to provide access to care that is no more restrictive than in-person care, with equivalent reimbursement rates.
• Giving psychiatric trainees increased access to new, higher paying, state loan repayment
• Securing state funding to expand psychiatric training program capacity
• Reforming the 50-year-old treatment standards outlined in the Lanterman Petris Short Act

PPAC is laser-focused on advocacy. Our advocacy team is time-and-field-tested with a history of success and established relationships with policymakers throughout California and beyond. We are committed to protecting the integrity of the practice of psychiatry.

We invite you to learn more about the Psychiatric Physicians Alliance of California and to join us in fighting for the profession of psychiatry. Basic dues to be a member of the Alliance are $29 in monthly payments and $19 for early career psychiatrists. Medical students, residents and fellows receive a free membership. Please contact me directly at rhagar@capsychiatrists.org with any questions you may have, and learn more about PPAC at: www.psychiatristsca.org.

Thank you for the work you do as a physician. It is our privilege to represent our shared interests.

To learn more about the superior psychiatry-specific insurance program and comprehensive services offered by PRMS, click here.