S-4740.2                   _______________________________________________

                                            SUBSTITUTE SENATE BILL 6547

                              _______________________________________________

State of Washington                              53rd Legislature                             1994 Regular Session

By Senate Committee on Health & Human Services (originally sponsored by Senators Sheldon, Niemi, Prentice and Anderson)

Read first time 02/04/94.

Providing for auditing of mental health systems.

          AN ACT Relating to mental health systems accountability; and adding new sections to chapter 71.24 RCW.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

NEW SECTION. Sec. 1.  The legislature finds that the current complex set of rules and regulations, audited and administered at multiple levels of the mental health system, focus primarily on the process of providing mental health services and do not sufficiently address consumer and system outcomes.  To this extent, the legislature finds that the intent of RCW 71.24.015 related to reduced administrative layering, duplication, and reduced administrative costs need much more aggressive action.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 2.  The department of social and health services shall establish a comprehensive and collaborative project within regional support networks and with local mental health service providers aimed at creating innovative and streamlined community mental health service delivery systems, in order to carry out the purposes set forth in section 1 of this act and to capture the diversity of the community mental health service delivery system.

          The project must accomplish the following:

          (1) Identification, review, and cataloging of all rules, regulations, duplicative administrative and monitoring functions, and other requirements that currently lead to inefficiencies in the community mental health service delivery system and, if possible, eliminate the requirements;

          (2) The systematic and incremental development of a single system of accountability for all state-appropriated funds used to provide mental health services.  Assessment must be made regarding the feasibility of also including federal and local funds into the single system of accountability;

          (3) The elimination of process regulations and related contract and reporting requirements.  In place of the regulations and requirements, a set of outcomes for mental health clients according to chapter 71.24 RCW must be used to measure the performance of mental health service providers;

          (4) Evaluation of the feasibility of contractual agreements between the department of social and health services and regional support networks and mental health service providers that link financial incentives to the success or failure of mental health service providers and regional support networks to meet outcomes established for mental health service clients; and

          (5) An independent evaluation component to measure the success of the projects.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 3.  The project established in section 2 of this act must be implemented by July 1, 1995, in at least six regional support networks, with annual progress reports submitted to the appropriate committees of the legislature beginning November 1, 1994, and in all regional support networks state-wide with full implementation no later than July 1, 1997.  In addition, the department of social and health services, the participating regional support networks, and the local mental health service providers shall report to the appropriate policy and fiscal committees of the legislature on the need for any changes in state statute, rule, policy, or procedure, and any change in federal statute, regulation, policy, or procedure to ensure the purposes specified in section 1 of this act are carried out.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 4.  To carry out the purposes specified in section 1 of this act, the department of social and health services is encouraged to utilize its authority to immediately eliminate any unnecessary rules, regulations, standards, or contracts, to immediately eliminate duplication of audits or any other unnecessarily duplicated functions, and to seek any waivers of federal or state rules or regulations necessary to achieve the purpose of streamlining the mental health system and infusing it with incentives that reward efficiency, positive outcomes for clients, and quality services.

NEW SECTION. Sec. 5.  Sections 1 through 4 of this act are each added to chapter 71.24 RCW.

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