SENATE BILL 6469
State of Washington | 66th Legislature | 2020 Regular Session |
BySenators Randall, O'Ban, Nguyen, Hasegawa, Saldaña, and Wilson, C.
Read first time 01/17/20.Referred to Committee on Health & Long Term Care.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. Involuntary treatment is a safety net service for adults and children experiencing a behavioral health crisis in Washington, some of whom experience anosognosia, a condition in which a person is unaware of having a brain disease. Washington law requires managed care organizations and behavioral health administrative services organizations to provide an adequate network of involuntary treatment services under RCW 71.24.045 and 71.24.490. This safety net is undermined when facilities decline to admit certain persons despite having certified treatment capacity available. This legislation provides a means to collect information about why persons in crisis are denied admission into facilities with available capacity, a means for managed care organizations and behavioral health administrative services organizations to support placement efforts for persons in crisis, and a means to support evaluation and treatment facilities and secure withdrawal management and stabilization facilities by ensuring they have access to resources necessary to treat persons with co-occurring disorders. NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter
71.05 RCW to read as follows:
(1) An evaluation and treatment facility or secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility that has treatment capacity available shall admit a person who has been detained for inpatient treatment at the request of the designated crisis responder unless:
(a) The person requires medical services not generally available at a facility certified under this chapter;
(b) A more appropriate facility exists to serve the specific needs of the person that has agreed to admit the person; or
(c) Unusual reasons specific to the person or to their prior relationship with the facility exist that make the facility unable to admit the person.
(2) An evaluation and treatment facility or secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility that has treatment capacity available shall admit a person who is receiving temporary services under a single bed certification upon application for transfer by the facility when the attending physician considers the person medically stable unless an exception under subsection (1) of this section applies.
(3) An evaluation and treatment facility or secure withdrawal management facility which declines to admit a person after receiving a request under subsection (1) or (2) of this section shall document receiving the request and the statutorily permitted reason for declining admission with a brief explanation in its records and immediately provide a copy to the designated crisis responder or facility providing services under a single bed certification. The facility must provide an admission determination to a designated crisis responder relating to a person being held for initial evaluation under RCW
71.05.050 or
71.05.153 within two hours of receiving the request for admission.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter
71.05 RCW to read as follows:
(1) When a designated crisis responder or a facility providing services under a single bed certification seeking to transfer the patient to a certified facility determines that they are unable to find a placement for a person who meets the criteria for detention or is detained for treatment, and the designated crisis responder or facility has obtained at least two denials of admission under section 2 of this act, the designated crisis responder or facility shall:
(a) Immediately transmit notification to the managed care organization responsible for the cost of the person's care, or if not enrolled in a managed care organization the behavioral health administrative services organization, in the manner prescribed by the organization, of the need for emergency intervention to secure access to crisis services for the person; and
(b) Concurrently share with the managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization any documentation received from facilities that declined admission to the person under section 2 of this act. The designated crisis responder or facility is not required to wait to provide notification until receiving documentation.
(2) If the person is being held for initial evaluation under RCW
71.05.050 or
71.05.153, upon notification under subsection (1) of this section, the person's initial evaluation hold shall be extended for an emergency period of up to twenty-four hours. The designated crisis responder shall serve notice of the emergency hold on the person. The person must be provided access to a mental health professional during this emergency period.
(3) A managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization that receives notice under subsection (1) of this section shall use its network and authority to obtain a placement or safe discharge for the person within the twenty-four hour emergency hold period. The managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization may negotiate directly with providers to obtain the services and support needed to obtain treatment services and may share information and coordinate with other public or private entities, if any, that provide coverage to the person. The designated crisis responder may collaborate with the managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization upon request. If the managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization is unable to obtain a placement or safe discharge for the person during the emergency hold period, the hold shall dissolve, and the managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization shall make a report under RCW
71.05.750.
(4) The managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization is responsible for the cost of care for the person during the twenty-four hour emergency hold period, unless coverage is provided by another entity.
Sec. 4. RCW
71.05.020 and 2019 c 446 s 2, 2019 c 444 s 16, and 2019 c 325 s 3001 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
The definitions in this section apply throughout this chapter unless the context clearly requires otherwise.
(1) "Admission" or "admit" means a decision by a physician, physician assistant, or psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner that a person should be examined or treated as a patient in a hospital;
(2) "Alcoholism" means a disease, characterized by a dependency on alcoholic beverages, loss of control over the amount and circumstances of use, symptoms of tolerance, physiological or psychological withdrawal, or both, if use is reduced or discontinued, and impairment of health or disruption of social or economic functioning;
(3) "Antipsychotic medications" means that class of drugs primarily used to treat serious manifestations of mental illness associated with thought disorders, which includes, but is not limited to atypical antipsychotic medications;
(4) "Approved substance use disorder treatment program" means a program for persons with a substance use disorder provided by a treatment program certified by the department as meeting standards adopted under chapter
71.24 RCW;
(5) "Attending staff" means any person on the staff of a public or private agency having responsibility for the care and treatment of a patient;
(6) "Authority" means the Washington state health care authority;
(7) "Co-occurring disorder specialist" means an individual possessing an enhancement granted by the department of health under chapter
18.205 RCW that certifies the individual to provide substance use disorder counseling subject to the practice limitations under RCW
18.205.105;
(8) "Commitment" means the determination by a court that a person should be detained for a period of either evaluation or treatment, or both, in an inpatient or a less restrictive setting;
(9) "Conditional release" means a revocable modification of a commitment, which may be revoked upon violation of any of its terms;
(10) "Crisis stabilization unit" means a short-term facility or a portion of a facility licensed or certified by the department, such as an evaluation and treatment facility or a hospital, which has been designed to assess, diagnose, and treat individuals experiencing an acute crisis without the use of long-term hospitalization;
(11) "Custody" means involuntary detention under the provisions of this chapter or chapter
10.77 RCW, uninterrupted by any period of unconditional release from commitment from a facility providing involuntary care and treatment;
(12) "Department" means the department of health;
(13) "Designated crisis responder" means a mental health professional appointed by the county or an entity appointed by the county, to perform the duties specified in this chapter;
(14) "Detention" or "detain" means the lawful confinement of a person, under the provisions of this chapter;
(15) "Developmental disabilities professional" means a person who has specialized training and three years of experience in directly treating or working with persons with developmental disabilities and is a psychiatrist, physician assistant working with a supervising psychiatrist, psychologist, psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner, or social worker, and such other developmental disabilities professionals as may be defined by rules adopted by the secretary of the department of social and health services;
(16) "Developmental disability" means that condition defined in RCW
71A.10.020(5);
(17) "Director" means the director of the authority;
(18) "Discharge" means the termination of hospital medical authority. The commitment may remain in place, be terminated, or be amended by court order;
(19) "Drug addiction" means a disease, characterized by a dependency on psychoactive chemicals, loss of control over the amount and circumstances of use, symptoms of tolerance, physiological or psychological withdrawal, or both, if use is reduced or discontinued, and impairment of health or disruption of social or economic functioning;
(20) "Evaluation and treatment facility" means any facility which can provide directly, or by direct arrangement with other public or private agencies, emergency evaluation and treatment, outpatient care, and timely and appropriate inpatient care to persons suffering from a mental disorder, and which is licensed or certified as such by the department. The authority may certify single beds as temporary evaluation and treatment beds under RCW
71.05.745.
Effective July 1, 2021, an evaluation and treatment facility must provide medically necessary substance use disorder services to persons with a co-occurring substance use disorder. A physically separate and separately operated portion of a state hospital may be designated as an evaluation and treatment facility. A facility which is part of, or operated by, the department of social and health services or any federal agency will not require certification. No correctional institution or facility, or jail, shall be an evaluation and treatment facility within the meaning of this chapter;
(21) "Gravely disabled" means a condition in which a person, as a result of a mental disorder, or as a result of the use of alcohol or other psychoactive chemicals: (a) Is in danger of serious physical harm resulting from a failure to provide for his or her essential human needs of health or safety; or (b) manifests severe deterioration in routine functioning evidenced by repeated and escalating loss of cognitive or volitional control over his or her actions and is not receiving such care as is essential for his or her health or safety;
(22) "Habilitative services" means those services provided by program personnel to assist persons in acquiring and maintaining life skills and in raising their levels of physical, mental, social, and vocational functioning. Habilitative services include education, training for employment, and therapy. The habilitative process shall be undertaken with recognition of the risk to the public safety presented by the person being assisted as manifested by prior charged criminal conduct;
(23) "Hearing" means any proceeding conducted in open court. For purposes of this chapter, at any hearing the petitioner, the respondent, the witnesses, and the presiding judicial officer may be present and participate either in person or by video, as determined by the court. The term "video" as used herein shall include any functional equivalent. At any hearing conducted by video, the technology used must permit the judicial officer, counsel, all parties, and the witnesses to be able to see, hear, and speak, when authorized, during the hearing; to allow attorneys to use exhibits or other materials during the hearing; and to allow respondent's counsel to be in the same location as the respondent unless otherwise requested by the respondent or the respondent's counsel. Witnesses in a proceeding may also appear in court through other means, including telephonically, pursuant to the requirements of superior court civil rule 43. Notwithstanding the foregoing, the court, upon its own motion or upon a motion for good cause by any party, may require all parties and witnesses to participate in the hearing in person rather than by video. In ruling on any such motion, the court may allow in-person or video testimony; and the court may consider, among other things, whether the respondent's alleged mental illness affects the respondent's ability to perceive or participate in the proceeding by video;
(24) "History of one or more violent acts" refers to the period of time ten years prior to the filing of a petition under this chapter, excluding any time spent, but not any violent acts committed, in a mental health facility, a long-term alcoholism or drug treatment facility, or in confinement as a result of a criminal conviction;
(25) "Imminent" means the state or condition of being likely to occur at any moment or near at hand, rather than distant or remote;
(26) "In need of assisted outpatient behavioral health treatment" means that a person, as a result of a mental disorder or substance use disorder: (a) Has been committed by a court to detention for involuntary behavioral health treatment during the preceding thirty-six months; (b) is unlikely to voluntarily participate in outpatient treatment without an order for less restrictive alternative treatment, based on a history of nonadherence with treatment or in view of the person's current behavior; (c) is likely to benefit from less restrictive alternative treatment; and (d) requires less restrictive alternative treatment to prevent a relapse, decompensation, or deterioration that is likely to result in the person presenting a likelihood of serious harm or the person becoming gravely disabled within a reasonably short period of time;
(27) "Individualized service plan" means a plan prepared by a developmental disabilities professional with other professionals as a team, for a person with developmental disabilities, which shall state:
(a) The nature of the person's specific problems, prior charged criminal behavior, and habilitation needs;
(b) The conditions and strategies necessary to achieve the purposes of habilitation;
(c) The intermediate and long-range goals of the habilitation program, with a projected timetable for the attainment;
(d) The rationale for using this plan of habilitation to achieve those intermediate and long-range goals;
(e) The staff responsible for carrying out the plan;
(f) Where relevant in light of past criminal behavior and due consideration for public safety, the criteria for proposed movement to less-restrictive settings, criteria for proposed eventual discharge or release, and a projected possible date for discharge or release; and
(g) The type of residence immediately anticipated for the person and possible future types of residences;
(28) "Information related to mental health services" means all information and records compiled, obtained, or maintained in the course of providing services to either voluntary or involuntary recipients of services by a mental health service provider. This may include documents of legal proceedings under this chapter or chapter
71.34 or
10.77 RCW, or somatic health care information;
(29) "Intoxicated person" means a person whose mental or physical functioning is substantially impaired as a result of the use of alcohol or other psychoactive chemicals;
(30) "Judicial commitment" means a commitment by a court pursuant to the provisions of this chapter;
(31) "Legal counsel" means attorneys and staff employed by county prosecutor offices or the state attorney general acting in their capacity as legal representatives of public mental health and substance use disorder service providers under RCW
71.05.130;
(32) "Less restrictive alternative treatment" means a program of individualized treatment in a less restrictive setting than inpatient treatment that includes the services described in RCW
71.05.585;
(33) "Licensed physician" means a person licensed to practice medicine or osteopathic medicine and surgery in the state of Washington;
(34) "Likelihood of serious harm" means:
(a) A substantial risk that: (i) Physical harm will be inflicted by a person upon his or her own person, as evidenced by threats or attempts to commit suicide or inflict physical harm on oneself; (ii) physical harm will be inflicted by a person upon another, as evidenced by behavior which has caused such harm or which places another person or persons in reasonable fear of sustaining such harm; or (iii) physical harm will be inflicted by a person upon the property of others, as evidenced by behavior which has caused substantial loss or damage to the property of others; or
(b) The person has threatened the physical safety of another and has a history of one or more violent acts;
(35) "Medical clearance" means a physician or other health care provider has determined that a person is medically stable and ready for referral to the designated crisis responder;
(36) "Mental disorder" means any organic, mental, or emotional impairment which has substantial adverse effects on a person's cognitive or volitional functions;
(37) "Mental health professional" means a psychiatrist, psychologist, physician assistant working with a supervising psychiatrist, psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner, psychiatric nurse, or social worker, and such other mental health professionals as may be defined by rules adopted by the secretary pursuant to the provisions of this chapter;
(38) "Mental health service provider" means a public or private agency that provides mental health services to persons with mental disorders or substance use disorders as defined under this section and receives funding from public sources. This includes, but is not limited to, hospitals licensed under chapter
70.41 RCW, evaluation and treatment facilities as defined in this section, community mental health service delivery systems or community behavioral health programs as defined in RCW
71.24.025, facilities conducting competency evaluations and restoration under chapter
10.77 RCW, approved substance use disorder treatment programs as defined in this section, secure withdrawal management and stabilization facilities as defined in this section, and correctional facilities operated by state and local governments;
(39) "Peace officer" means a law enforcement official of a public agency or governmental unit, and includes persons specifically given peace officer powers by any state law, local ordinance, or judicial order of appointment;
(40) "Physician assistant" means a person licensed as a physician assistant under chapter
18.57A or
18.71A RCW;
(41) "Private agency" means any person, partnership, corporation, or association that is not a public agency, whether or not financed in whole or in part by public funds, which constitutes an evaluation and treatment facility or private institution, or hospital, or approved substance use disorder treatment program, which is conducted for, or includes a department or ward conducted for, the care and treatment of persons with mental illness, substance use disorders, or both mental illness and substance use disorders;
(42) "Professional person" means a mental health professional, substance use disorder professional, or designated crisis responder and shall also mean a physician, physician assistant, psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner, registered nurse, and such others as may be defined by rules adopted by the secretary pursuant to the provisions of this chapter;
(43) "Psychiatric advanced registered nurse practitioner" means a person who is licensed as an advanced registered nurse practitioner pursuant to chapter
18.79 RCW; and who is board certified in advanced practice psychiatric and mental health nursing;
(44) "Psychiatrist" means a person having a license as a physician and surgeon in this state who has in addition completed three years of graduate training in psychiatry in a program approved by the American medical association or the American osteopathic association and is certified or eligible to be certified by the American board of psychiatry and neurology;
(45) "Psychologist" means a person who has been licensed as a psychologist pursuant to chapter
18.83 RCW;
(46) "Public agency" means any evaluation and treatment facility or institution, secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility, approved substance use disorder treatment program, or hospital which is conducted for, or includes a department or ward conducted for, the care and treatment of persons with mental illness, substance use disorders, or both mental illness and substance use disorders, if the agency is operated directly by federal, state, county, or municipal government, or a combination of such governments;
(47) "Release" means legal termination of the commitment under the provisions of this chapter;
(48) "Resource management services" has the meaning given in chapter
71.24 RCW;
(49) "Secretary" means the secretary of the department of health, or his or her designee;
(50) "Secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility" means a facility operated by either a public or private agency or by the program of an agency which provides care to voluntary individuals and individuals involuntarily detained and committed under this chapter for whom there is a likelihood of serious harm or who are gravely disabled due to the presence of a substance use disorder. Secure withdrawal management and stabilization facilities must:
(a) Provide the following services:
(i) Assessment and treatment, provided by certified substance use disorder professionals or co-occuring disorder specialists;
(ii) Clinical stabilization services;
(iii) Acute or subacute detoxification services for intoxicated individuals;
(iv) Medically necessary mental health services to persons with a co-occurring mental health disorder, effective July 1, 2021; and
(((iv)))(v) Discharge assistance provided by certified substance use disorder professionals or co-occuring disorder specialists, including facilitating transitions to appropriate voluntary or involuntary inpatient services or to less restrictive alternatives as appropriate for the individual;
(b) Include security measures sufficient to protect the patients, staff, and community; and
(c) Be licensed or certified as such by the department of health;
(51) "Serious violent offense" has the same meaning as provided in RCW
9.94A.030;
(52) "Social worker" means a person with a master's or further advanced degree from a social work educational program accredited and approved as provided in RCW
18.320.010;
(53) "Substance use disorder" means a cluster of cognitive, behavioral, and physiological symptoms indicating that an individual continues using the substance despite significant substance-related problems. The diagnosis of a substance use disorder is based on a pathological pattern of behaviors related to the use of the substances;
(54) "Substance use disorder professional" means a person certified as a substance use disorder professional by the department of health under chapter
18.205 RCW;
(55) "Therapeutic court personnel" means the staff of a mental health court or other therapeutic court which has jurisdiction over defendants who are dually diagnosed with mental disorders, including court personnel, probation officers, a court monitor, prosecuting attorney, or defense counsel acting within the scope of therapeutic court duties;
(56) "Treatment records" include registration and all other records concerning persons who are receiving or who at any time have received services for mental illness, which are maintained by the department of social and health services, the department, the authority, behavioral health administrative services organizations and their staffs, managed care organizations and their staffs, and by treatment facilities. Treatment records include mental health information contained in a medical bill including but not limited to mental health drugs, a mental health diagnosis, provider name, and dates of service stemming from a medical service. Treatment records do not include notes or records maintained for personal use by a person providing treatment services for the department of social and health services, the department, the authority, behavioral health administrative services organizations, managed care organizations, or a treatment facility if the notes or records are not available to others;
(57) "Triage facility" means a short-term facility or a portion of a facility licensed or certified by the department, which is designed as a facility to assess and stabilize an individual or determine the need for involuntary commitment of an individual, and must meet department residential treatment facility standards. A triage facility may be structured as a voluntary or involuntary placement facility;
(58) "Violent act" means behavior that resulted in homicide, attempted suicide, nonfatal injuries, or substantial damage to property.
(59) "Behavioral health administrative services organization" means an entity contracted with the authority to administer behavioral health services and programs under RCW 71.24.381, including crisis services and administration of this chapter, the involuntary treatment act, for all individuals in a defined regional service area. (60) "Managed care organization" means an organization, having a certificate of authority or certificate of registration from the office of the insurance commissioner, that contracts with the authority under a comprehensive risk contract to provide prepaid health care services to enrollees under the authority's managed care programs under chapter 74.09 RCW. Sec. 5. RCW
71.05.750 and 2019 c 325 s 3013 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) A ((
designated crisis responder))
managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization shall make a report to the authority when ((
he or she determines a person meets detention criteria under RCW 71.05.150, 71.05.153, 71.34.700, or 71.34.710 and))
after the expiration of a twenty-four hour emergency hold period under section 3 of this act and despite the efforts of the managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization to obtain a placement or safe discharge for the person there are not any beds available at an evaluation and treatment facility((
, the person has not been provisionally accepted for admission by a facility,))
or secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility and the person cannot be served on a single bed certification or less restrictive alternative. ((
Starting at the time when the designated crisis responder determines a person meets detention criteria and the investigation has been completed, the designated crisis responder))
The managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization has twenty-four hours
from the expiration of the twenty-four hour emergency period to submit a completed report to the authority.
(2) The report required under subsection (1) of this section must contain at a minimum:
(a) The date and time that the designated crisis responder investigation was completed;
(b) The identity of the responsible behavioral health administrative services organization and managed care organization((, if applicable));
(c) The county in which the person met detention criteria;
(d) A list of facilities which ((refused))declined to admit the person;
(e) A summary of the efforts undertaken by the managed care organization or behavioral health administrative services organization; and
(((e)))(f) Identifying information for the person, including age or date of birth.
(3) The authority shall develop a standardized reporting form or modify the current form used for single bed certifications for the report required under subsection (2) of this section and may require additional reporting elements as it determines are necessary or supportive. The authority shall also determine the method for the transmission of the completed report ((from the designated crisis responder)) to the authority.
(4) The authority shall create quarterly reports displayed on its web site that summarize the information reported under subsection (2) of this section. At a minimum, the reports must display data by county and by month. The reports must also include the number of single bed certifications granted by category. The categories must include all of the reasons that the authority recognizes for issuing a single bed certification, as identified in rule.
(5) The reports provided according to this section may not display "protected health information" as that term is used in the federal health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996, nor information ((
contained in "mental health treatment records" as that term is used in))
prohibited from disclosure under chapter
70.02 RCW or elsewhere in state law, and must otherwise be compliant with state and federal privacy laws.
(6) For purposes of this section, the term "single bed certification" means a situation in which an adult on a seventy-two hour detention, fourteen-day commitment, ninety-day commitment, or one hundred eighty-day commitment is detained to a facility that is:
(a) Not licensed or certified as an inpatient evaluation and treatment facility; or
(b) A licensed or certified inpatient evaluation and treatment facility that is already at capacity.
Sec. 6. RCW
71.05.755 and 2019 c 325 s 3014 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) ((
The authority shall promptly share reports it receives under RCW 71.05.750 with the responsible behavioral health administrative services organization or managed care organization, if applicable. The))
A behavioral health administrative services organization or managed care organization((
, if applicable, receiving this notification))
that files a report under RCW 71.05.750 must
continue to attempt to engage the person in appropriate services for which the person is eligible and report back
again within seven days to the authority.
(2) The authority shall track and analyze reports submitted under RCW
71.05.750. The authority must initiate corrective action when appropriate to ensure that each behavioral health administrative services organization or managed care organization((
, if applicable,)) has implemented an adequate
network and plan to provide evaluation and treatment services. Corrective actions may include remedies under the authority's contract with such entity. An adequate plan may include development of less restrictive alternatives to involuntary commitment such as crisis triage, crisis diversion, voluntary treatment, or prevention programs reasonably calculated to reduce demand for evaluation and treatment under this chapter.
Sec. 7. RCW
71.24.037 and 2019 c 446 s 23 and 2019 c 325 s 1007 are each reenacted and amended to read as follows:
(1) The secretary shall license or certify any agency or facility that: (a) Submits payment of the fee established under RCW
43.70.110 and
43.70.250; (b) submits a complete application that demonstrates the ability to comply with requirements for operating and maintaining an agency or facility in statute or rule; and (c) successfully completes the prelicensure inspection requirement.
(2) The secretary shall establish by rule minimum standards for licensed or certified behavioral health agencies that must, at a minimum, establish: (a) Qualifications for staff providing services directly to persons with mental disorders, substance use disorders, or both; (b) the intended result of each service; and (c) the rights and responsibilities of persons receiving behavioral health services pursuant to this chapter and chapter
71.05 RCW. The secretary shall provide for deeming of licensed or certified behavioral health agencies as meeting state minimum standards as a result of accreditation by a recognized behavioral health accrediting body recognized and having a current agreement with the department.
(3) The department shall review reports or other information alleging a failure to comply with this chapter or the standards and rules adopted under this chapter and may initiate investigations and enforcement actions based on those reports.
(4) The department shall conduct inspections of agencies and facilities, including reviews of records and documents required to be maintained under this chapter or rules adopted under this chapter
. In the case of an evaluation and treatment facility or secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility under chapter 71.05 RCW, the inspection shall include records created under section 2 of this act and an analysis of means available, if any, to improve availability of services for persons in crisis, including the receipt of technical assistance from the department or other entities.
(5) The department may suspend, revoke, limit, restrict, or modify an approval, or refuse to grant approval, for failure to meet the provisions of this chapter, or the standards adopted under this chapter. RCW
43.70.115 governs notice of a license or certification denial, revocation, suspension, or modification and provides the right to an adjudicative proceeding.
(6) No licensed or certified behavioral health ((service))agency or behavioral health provider may advertise or represent itself as a licensed or certified behavioral health ((service))agency or behavioral health provider if approval has not been granted or has been denied, suspended, revoked, or canceled.
(7) Licensure or certification as a behavioral health ((service))agency or behavioral health provider is effective for one calendar year from the date of issuance of the license or certification. The license or certification must specify the types of services provided by the behavioral health ((service))agency or behavioral health provider that meet the standards adopted under this chapter. Renewal of a license or certification must be made in accordance with this section for initial approval and in accordance with the standards set forth in rules adopted by the secretary.
(8) Licensure or certification as a licensed or certified behavioral health ((service))agency or behavioral health provider must specify the types of services provided that meet the standards adopted under this chapter. Renewal of a license or certification must be made in accordance with this section for initial approval and in accordance with the standards set forth in rules adopted by the secretary.
(9) The department shall develop a process by which a ((provider))behavioral health agency may obtain dual licensure as an evaluation and treatment facility and secure withdrawal management and stabilization facility.
(10) Licensed or certified behavioral health ((service))agencies or behavioral health providers may not provide types of services for which the licensed or certified behavioral health ((service))agency or behavioral health provider has not been certified. Licensed or certified behavioral health ((service))agencies or behavioral health providers may provide services for which approval has been sought and is pending, if approval for the services has not been previously revoked or denied.
(11) The department periodically shall inspect licensed or certified behavioral health ((service providers))agencies at reasonable times and in a reasonable manner.
(12) Upon petition of the department and after a hearing held upon reasonable notice to the facility, the superior court may issue a warrant to an officer or employee of the department authorizing him or her to enter and inspect at reasonable times, and examine the books and accounts of, any licensed or certified behavioral health ((service provider))agency refusing to consent to inspection or examination by the department or which the department has reasonable cause to believe is operating in violation of this chapter.
(13) The department shall maintain and periodically publish a current list of licensed or certified behavioral health ((service))agencies and behavioral health providers.
(14) Each licensed or certified behavioral health ((service provider))agency shall file with the department or the authority upon request, data, statistics, schedules, and information the department or the authority reasonably requires. A licensed or certified behavioral health ((service provider))agency that without good cause fails to furnish any data, statistics, schedules, or information as requested, or files fraudulent returns thereof, may have its license or certification revoked or suspended.
(15) The authority shall use the data provided in subsection (14) of this section to evaluate each program that admits children to inpatient substance use disorder treatment upon application of their parents. The evaluation must be done at least once every twelve months. In addition, the authority shall randomly select and review the information on individual children who are admitted on application of the child's parent for the purpose of determining whether the child was appropriately placed into substance use disorder treatment based on an objective evaluation of the child's condition and the outcome of the child's treatment.
(16) Any settlement agreement entered into between the department and a licensed or certified behavioral health ((service providers))agency to resolve administrative complaints, license or certification violations, license or certification suspensions, or license or certification revocations may not reduce the number of violations reported by the department unless the department concludes, based on evidence gathered by inspectors, that the licensed or certified behavioral health ((service provider))agency did not commit one or more of the violations.
(17) In cases in which a behavioral health ((service provider))agency that is in violation of licensing or certification standards attempts to transfer or sell the behavioral health ((service provider))agency to a family member, the transfer or sale may only be made for the purpose of remedying license or certification violations and achieving full compliance with the terms of the license or certification. Transfers or sales to family members are prohibited in cases in which the purpose of the transfer or sale is to avoid liability or reset the number of license or certification violations found before the transfer or sale. If the department finds that the owner intends to transfer or sell, or has completed the transfer or sale of, ownership of the behavioral health ((service provider))agency to a family member solely for the purpose of resetting the number of violations found before the transfer or sale, the department may not renew the behavioral health ((service provider's))agency's license or certification or issue a new license or certification to the behavioral health ((service provider))agency.
Sec. 8. RCW
71.24.045 and 2019 c 325 s 1008 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The behavioral health administrative services organization contracted with the authority pursuant to RCW
71.24.381 shall:
(a) Administer crisis services for the assigned regional service area. Such services must include:
(i) A behavioral health crisis hotline for its assigned regional service area;
(ii) Crisis response services twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week, three hundred sixty-five days a year;
(iii) Services related to involuntary commitments under chapters
71.05 and
71.34 RCW;
(iv) Additional noncrisis behavioral health services, within available resources, to individuals who meet certain criteria set by the authority in its contracts with the behavioral health administrative services organization. These services may include services provided through federal grant funds, provisos, and general fund state appropriations;
(v) Care coordination, diversion services, and discharge planning for nonmedicaid individuals transitioning from state hospitals or inpatient settings to reduce rehospitalization and utilization of crisis services, as required by the authority in contract; and
(vi) Regional coordination, cross-system and cross-jurisdiction coordination with tribal governments, and capacity building efforts, such as supporting the behavioral health advisory board, the behavioral health ombuds, and efforts to support access to services or to improve the behavioral health system;
(b) Administer and provide for the availability of an adequate network of evaluation and treatment services to ensure access to treatment, investigation, transportation, court-related, and other services provided as required under chapters 71.05 and 71.34 RCW;
(c)
Provide emergency services and reporting under section 3 of this act and RCW 71.05.750, including providing for and publicizing a suitable means of receiving timely notification under section 3 of this act;(d) Coordinate services for individuals under RCW
71.05.365;
(((d)))(e) Administer and provide for the availability of resource management services, residential services, and community support services as required under its contract with the authority;
(((e)))(f) Contract with a sufficient number, as determined by the authority, of licensed or certified providers for crisis services and other behavioral health services required by the authority;
(((f)))(g) Maintain adequate reserves or secure a bond as required by its contract with the authority;
(((g)))(h) Establish and maintain quality assurance processes;
(((h)))(i) Meet established limitations on administrative costs for agencies that contract with the behavioral health administrative services organization; and
(((i)))(j) Maintain patient tracking information as required by the authority.
(2) The behavioral health administrative services organization must collaborate with the authority and its contracted managed care organizations to develop and implement strategies to coordinate care with tribes and community behavioral health providers for individuals with a history of frequent crisis system utilization.
(3) The behavioral health administrative services organization shall:
(a) Assure that the special needs of minorities, older adults, individuals with disabilities, children, and low-income persons are met;
(b) Collaborate with local government entities to ensure that policies do not result in an adverse shift of persons with mental illness into state and local correctional facilities; and
(c) Work with the authority to expedite the enrollment or reenrollment of eligible persons leaving state or local correctional facilities and institutions for mental diseases.
Sec. 9. RCW
71.24.490 and 2019 c 325 s 1032 are each amended to read as follows:
(1) The authority must collaborate with behavioral health administrative services organizations, managed care organizations, and the Washington state institute for public policy to estimate the capacity needs for evaluation and treatment services within each regional service area. Estimated capacity needs shall include consideration of the average occupancy rates needed to provide an adequate network of evaluation and treatment services to ensure access to treatment. Behavioral health administrative services organizations and managed care organizations must develop and maintain an adequate plan to provide for evaluation and treatment needs.
(2) A managed care organization must provide emergency services and reporting under section 3 of this act and RCW 71.05.750, including providing for and publicizing a suitable means of receiving timely notification under section 3 of this act. --- END ---