EHR and billing operations for San Diego County SUD providers on SmartCare.
San Diego County's SUD System of Care moved from SanWITS to SmartCare in September 2024. SmartCare, run through Optum San Diego, is the county record for clinical data, CalOMS Tx and ASAM reporting, and DMC billing. Providers with their own EHR are not exempt; they dual-enter required data. Navix is your operating record that cuts that dual entry, and CollaborateMD, our RCM partner, processes your commercial and cash claims.
Last verified: August 19, 2026 · sources belowThe county record, CalOMS, and where your EHR fits.
Since September 1, 2024, SmartCare (the semi-statewide EHR offered through CalMHSA) replaced SanWITS as the county electronic health record for the SUD System of Care, run through Optum San Diego, the county's Administrative Services Organization. SanWITS remains only for records and corrections dated before the cutover.
Own-EHR providers still dual-enter
The SUD Provider Operations Handbook anticipates providers running their own EHR and requires processes to accommodate dual entry of client data, state reporting, and billing into the county system. There is no documented provider-facing self-service 837 path; confirm the current SmartCare claims workflow with your county contract representative.
CalOMS Tx and ASAM
CalOMS Tx is mandatory for any publicly funded SUD provider and all opioid treatment programs — admission, discharge, and annual update — submitted at least monthly. For residential care, a multidimensional ASAM level-of-care assessment is due within 72 hours of admission.
Dual entry, on the county's clock.
- Dual entry: clinical notes in your own record, required data re-entered into SmartCare
- Monthly CalOMS Tx compliance for every consumer, with tight update windows
- ASAM level-of-care assessment due within 72 hours of a residential admission
SmartCare is the county system of record, but it was built to administer the county's program, not to run your facility. The goal is a single clinical record your team documents once, ready to feed SmartCare, instead of a second job.
One operating record. Less time in SmartCare.
Navix is the EMR your team works in: clinical documentation, group notes, scheduling, and your commercial and cash census. Because clinicians document once in Navix, the client data, CalOMS fields, and ASAM assessments your team dual-enters into SmartCare are prepared rather than recreated, which cuts the double entry and helps you hit CalOMS and 72-hour ASAM deadlines.
For county Medi-Cal, DMC billing is generated through SmartCare. CollaborateMD, our RCM partner, processes your commercial and cash claims. Confirm current Optum San Diego requirements against the county's own materials, which change by fiscal year.
Straight answers.
Do San Diego SUD providers still report through SanWITS?
No. As of September 1, 2024, SmartCare replaced SanWITS as the electronic health record for the SUD System of Care. SanWITS is retained only for services, state reporting, and corrections dated before that cutover. Current CalOMS Tx, ASAM, and DMC billing data goes into SmartCare.
Can I use my own EHR and skip the county system in San Diego?
No. The SUD Provider Operations Handbook states that providers with their own EHR need processes to accommodate dual entry of specific client data, state reporting, and billing into the county system. Running your own EMR does not exempt you from SmartCare data entry.
Who has to submit CalOMS Tx, and how often?
Any provider receiving public funding for SUD services, and all opioid treatment programs, must report CalOMS Tx for every consumer — admission, discharge, and an annual update for anyone in treatment over 12 months — with data submitted at least monthly.
How fast must ASAM be documented after admission?
For residential levels of care, a multidimensional ASAM level-of-care assessment must be completed within 72 hours of admission. Outpatient providers follow the full-assessment standard. Confirm current timelines against the SUD Provider Operations Handbook, which is updated by fiscal year.
How does Navix fit with SmartCare?
Navix is your operating EMR: clinical documentation, groups, scheduling, and your commercial and cash census. Because clinicians document once in Navix, the data your team dual-enters into SmartCare for county Medi-Cal is prepared rather than recreated, and CollaborateMD, our RCM partner, processes your commercial and cash claims.
Related.
See Navix alongside SmartCare.
We will walk the path from clinical documentation to your SmartCare entries and your commercial claims, on a real chart.
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