News

As a healthcare provider, your patients value your advice on tobacco cessation. SCFHP requires its providers to identify and track all tobacco use (both initially and annually) and do the following:

• Complete an initial health assessment, which includes the staying healthy assessment (SHA), for all new patients within 120 days of enrollment. Each age-appropriate SHA questionnaire asks about smoking status and exposure to tobacco smoke.
• Annually assess the status of tobacco use for every patient based on the SHA’s periodicity schedule.
• Ask tobacco users about their current tobacco use and document in their medical records at every visit.
• Assess all pregnant patients if they use tobacco or are exposed to tobacco smoke and document in their medical records.
• Refer those that use tobacco to cessation services, such as the California Smoker’s Helpline (CSH).

Smoker’s helpline
The California’s Smoker’s Helpline (CSH) is a great resource your patients can use in their journey to quit smoking. CSH’s counselors are fluent in English, Spanish, Mandarin, Cantonese, Korean, and Vietnamese. Special services are available for tobacco chewers, pregnant smokers, teens, and vape users. Please refer your patients using this online form and CSH will reach out to your patient. Patients can also call 1-800-NO-BUTTS to speak with a counselor.