Washington State

House of Representatives

Office of Program Research

BILL

ANALYSIS

Health Care & Wellness Committee

HB 1546

This analysis was prepared by non-partisan legislative staff for the use of legislative members in their deliberations. This analysis is not a part of the legislation nor does it constitute a statement of legislative intent.

Brief Summary of Bill

Directs the Department of Social and Health Services (Department) and behavioral health organizations to assess the capacity of community hospitals to become certified to provide long-term mental health placements and to contract with those hospitals that choose to provide such services.
Department contracts with behavioral health organizations must specify the number of patient days of care to be provided in facilities certified to treat adults on 90- and 180-day inpatient involuntary commitment orders, including community hospitals.

Background:

The Department of Social and Health Services (Department) contracts with behavioral health organizations to oversee the delivery of behavioral health services for persons with mental illness or substance use disorder. A behavioral health organization may be a county, group of counties, or a nonprofit or for-profit entity. Currently, eight of the nine behavioral health organizations are county-based, except for one which is operated by a private entity.

Behavioral health organizations are also responsible for the administration of community-based commitments and services under the Involuntary Treatment Act which governs the commitment of persons for involuntary mental health treatment if they pose a likelihood of serious harm or are gravely disabled due to a mental disorder. Inpatient commitments for 90 or 180 days of treatment take place at one of two state hospitals operated by the Department. Long-term inpatient care beds at the state hospitals are divided among all of the behavioral health organizations with a specific allocation to each behavioral health organization based on patient days of care. If a behavioral health organization exceeds its allocation of patient days of care at state hospitals, it must reimburse the Department for the excess days.

Summary of Bill:

The Department of Social and Health Services (Department) must contract with behavioral health organizations to provide a certain amount of long-term inpatient treatment in the community, rather than at state hospitals. In addition to specifying the number of state hospital beds that a behavioral health organization is allocated, the Department contracts with behavioral health organizations must establish the number of patient days of care available at facilities certified to treat adults on 90- and 180-day inpatient involuntary commitment orders, including community hospitals. When applying to become a behavioral health organization, an entity must demonstrate the ability to contract for the minimum number of days of care in community hospitals as specified by the Department.

The Department and behavioral health organizations must assess the capacity of community hospitals to become certified to provide long-term mental health placements and enter into contracts with those hospitals that choose to provide such services. Community hospitals are not required to become certified to provide such services.