12528.1. (a) An agent, investigator, or auditor of the Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse within the office of the Attorney General shall have the authority to inspect, at any time, the business location of any Medi-Cal provider for the purpose of carrying out the duties of the division as set forth in Section 12528. For purposes of this subdivision, “provider” includes an applicant as defined in Section 14043.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code and a billing agent, as defined in Section 14040.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.
(b) The department shall provide all investigators and auditors assigned to lead a facility inspection team of a health facility licensed under Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 1250) of Division 2 of the Health and Safety Code with basic training on the relevant statutes and regulations governing the types of facilities to be inspected. Unless it is impracticable, the training shall include a facility tour, unrelated to an actual inspection, to observe the operations of the type of facilities to be inspected.
(c) The Division of Medi-Cal Fraud and Elder Abuse shall develop protocols to ensure that inspections conducted pursuant to this section are conducted during normal business hours and are completed in the least intrusive manner possible.
(Amended by Stats. 2021, Ch. 554, Sec. 5. (SB 823) Effective January 1, 2022.)