HB1453: Acute psychiatric bed registry; DBHDS shall establish work group to evaluate, etc.


VIRGINIA ACTS OF ASSEMBLY -- CHAPTER
An Act to direct the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to establish a work group to evaluate and make recommendations related to the acute psychiatric bed registry.
[H 1453]
Approved

 

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department) shall establish a work group to include representatives of such stakeholders as the Department may deem appropriate (i) to evaluate the role of the acute psychiatric bed registry (the registry) in collecting and disseminating information about the availability of acute psychiatric beds in the Commonwealth and collecting data and information to ensure adequate oversight of the process by which individuals are referred for acute psychiatric services, the structure of the registry, and the types of data required to be reported to the registry and (ii) to make recommendations for statutory, budgetary, or other actions necessary to redefine the purpose of the registry and improve its structure and effectiveness. The work group shall report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions, and the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the Twenty-First Century by November 1, 2020.


HOUSE BILL NO. 1453
AMENDMENT IN THE NATURE OF A SUBSTITUTE
(Proposed by the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions
on February 4, 2020)
(Patron Prior to Substitute--Delegate Hope)
A BILL to direct the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to establish a work group to evaluate and make recommendations related to the acute psychiatric bed registry.

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. § 1. That the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services (the Department) shall establish a work group to include representatives of such stakeholders as the Department may deem appropriate (i) to evaluate the role of the acute psychiatric bed registry (the registry) in collecting and disseminating information about the availability of acute psychiatric beds in the Commonwealth and collecting data and information to ensure adequate oversight of the process by which individuals are referred for acute psychiatric services, the structure of the registry, and the types of data required to be reported to the registry and (ii) to make recommendations for statutory, budgetary, or other actions necessary to redefine the purpose of the registry and improve its structure and effectiveness. The work group shall report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health, the House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions, and the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the Twenty-First Century by November 1, 2020.

HOUSE BILL NO. 1453

Offered January 8, 2020
Prefiled January 8, 2020
A BILL to amend and reenact § 37.2-308.1 of the Code of Virginia, relating to the acute psychiatric bed registry; information required to be reported.
Patron-- Hope

Committee Referral Pending

Be it enacted by the General Assembly of Virginia:

1. That § 37.2-308.1 of the Code of Virginia is amended and reenacted as follows:

§ 37.2-308.1. Acute psychiatric bed registry.

A. The Department shall develop and administer a web-based acute psychiatric bed registry to collect, aggregate, and display information about available acute beds in public and private inpatient psychiatric facilities and public and private residential crisis stabilization units to facilitate the identification and designation of facilities for the temporary detention and treatment of individuals who meet the criteria for temporary detention pursuant to § 37.2-809.

B. The acute psychiatric bed registry created pursuant to subsection A shall:

1. Include descriptive information for every public and private inpatient psychiatric facility and every public and private residential crisis stabilization unit in the Commonwealth, including contact information for the facility or unit;

2. Provide detailed information about each public and private inpatient psychiatric facility and every public and private residential crisis stabilization unit in the Commonwealth, including the (i) total number of licensed beds, (ii) total number of staffed beds, (iii) current bed utilization, (iv) change in bed utilization since the most recent update required pursuant to subsection D, (v) number of beds actually available, (vi) number of requests for admission received since the most recent update required pursuant to subsection D, (vii) number of individuals admitted since the most recent update required pursuant to subsection D, and (vii) number of requests for admission denied since the most recent update required pursuant to subsection D and the reason for each such denial;

3. Provide real-time information about the number of beds available at each facility or unit and, for each available bed, the type of patient that may be admitted, the level of security provided, and any other information that may be necessary to allow employees or designees of community services boards and employees of inpatient psychiatric facilities or public and private residential crisis stabilization units to identify appropriate facilities for detention and treatment of individuals who meet the criteria for temporary detention; and

3. 4. Allow employees and designees of community services boards, employees of inpatient psychiatric facilities or public and private residential crisis stabilization units, and health care providers as defined in § 8.01-581.1 working in an emergency room of a hospital or clinic or other facility rendering emergency medical care to perform searches of the registry to identify available beds that are appropriate for the detention and treatment of individuals who meet the criteria for temporary detention.

C. Every state facility, community services board, behavioral health authority, and private inpatient provider licensed by the Department shall participate in the acute psychiatric bed registry established pursuant to subsection A and shall designate such employees as may be necessary to submit information for inclusion in the acute psychiatric bed registry and serve as a point of contact for addressing requests for information related to data reported to the acute psychiatric bed registry.

D. Every state facility, community services board, behavioral health authority, and private inpatient provider licensed by the Department shall update information included in the acute psychiatric bed registry whenever there is a change in bed availability for the facility, board, authority, or provider or, if no change in bed availability has occurred, at least daily.

E. The Commissioner may enter into a contract with a private entity for the development and administration of the acute psychiatric bed registry established pursuant to subsection A.

2. That the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services shall create a work group to include representatives of such stakeholders as the Department may deem appropriate (i) to evaluate the role of the acute psychiatric bed registry (the registry) in collecting and disseminating information about the availability of acute psychiatric beds in the Commonwealth and collecting data and information to ensure adequate oversight of the process by which individuals are referred for acute psychiatric services, the structure of the registry, and the types of data required to be reported to the registry and (ii) to make recommendations for statutory, budgetary, or other actions necessary to redefine the purpose of the registry and improve its structure and effectiveness. The work group shall report its findings, conclusions, and recommendations to the Governor and the Chairmen of the Senate Committee on Education and Health, House Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions, and the Joint Subcommittee to Study Mental Health Services in the Commonwealth in the Twenty-First Century by November 1, 2020.