(1) The legislature intends that eastern and western state hospitals shall operate as clinical centers for handling the most complicated long-term care needs of patients with a primary diagnosis of mental disorder. It is further the intent of the legislature that the community behavioral health service delivery system focus on maintaining individuals with mental illness in the community. The program shall be evaluated and managed through a limited number of outcome and performance measures, as provided in RCW 71.24.435, 70.320.020, and 71.36.025.

Terms Used In Washington Code 71.24.016

  • Appropriation: The provision of funds, through an annual appropriations act or a permanent law, for federal agencies to make payments out of the Treasury for specified purposes. The formal federal spending process consists of two sequential steps: authorization
  • Authority: means the Washington state health care authority. See Washington Code 71.24.025
  • Available resources: means funds appropriated for the purpose of providing community behavioral health programs, federal funds, except those provided according to Title XIX of the Social Security Act, and state funds appropriated under this chapter or chapter 71. See Washington Code 71.24.025
  • Community behavioral health service delivery system: means public, private, or tribal agencies that provide services specifically to persons with mental disorders, substance use disorders, or both, as defined under RCW 71. See Washington Code 71.24.025
  • Department: means the department of health. See Washington Code 71.24.025
  • Evidence-based: means a program or practice that has been tested in heterogeneous or intended populations with multiple randomized, or statistically controlled evaluations, or both; or one large multiple site randomized, or statistically controlled evaluation, or both, where the weight of the evidence from a systemic review demonstrates sustained improvements in at least one outcome. See Washington Code 71.24.025
  • 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. See Washington Code 71.24.025
  • person: may be construed to include the United States, this state, or any state or territory, or any public or private corporation or limited liability company, as well as an individual. See Washington Code 1.16.080
  • Remainder: An interest in property that takes effect in the future at a specified time or after the occurrence of some event, such as the death of a life tenant.
(2) The legislature intends to address the needs of people with mental disorders with a targeted, coordinated, and comprehensive set of evidence-based practices that are effective in serving individuals in their community and will reduce the need for placements in state mental hospitals. The legislature further intends to explicitly hold behavioral health administrative services organizations, within available resources, and managed care organizations accountable for serving people with mental disorders within the boundaries of their regional service area.
(3) The authority shall establish a work group to determine: (a) How to appropriately manage access to adult long-term inpatient involuntary care and the children’s long-term inpatient program in the community and at eastern and western state hospitals, until such a time as the risk for long-term involuntary inpatient care may be fully integrated into managed care organization contracts, and provide advice to guide the integration process; and (b) how to expand bidirectional integration through increased support for co-occurring disorder services, including recommendations related to purchasing and rates. The work group shall include representation from the department of social and health services, the department of health, behavioral health administrative services organizations, at least two managed care organizations, the Washington state association of counties, community behavioral health providers, including providers with experience providing co-occurring disorder services, and the Washington state hospital association. Managed care representation on the work group must include at least one member with financial expertise and at least one member with clinical expertise. The managed care organizations on the work group shall represent the entire managed care sector and shall collaborate with the nonrepresented managed care organizations. The work group shall provide recommendations to the office of financial management and appropriate committees of the legislature by December 15, 2019.

NOTES:

Effective date2019 c 325 §§ 1003 and 5030: “Sections 1003 and 5030 of this act are necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and take effect immediately [May 9, 2019].” [ 2019 c 325 § 6007.]
Effective date2014 c 225: “Sections 7, 10, 13 through 54, 56 through 84, and 86 through 104 of this act take effect April 1, 2016.” [ 2014 c 225 § 112.]
FindingPurposeIntent2006 c 333: “(1) The legislature finds that ambiguities have been identified regarding the appropriation and allocation of federal and state funds, and the responsibilities of the department of social and health services and the regional support networks with regard to the provision of inpatient mental health services under the community mental health services act, chapter 71.24 RCW, and the involuntary treatment act, chapter 71.05 RCW. The purpose of this 2006 act is to make retroactive, remedial, curative, and technical amendments in order to resolve such ambiguities.
(2) In enacting the community mental health services act, the legislature intended the relationship between the state and the regional support networks to be governed solely by the terms of the regional support network contracts and did not intend these relationships to create statutory causes of action not expressly provided for in the contracts. Therefore, the legislature’s intent is that, except to the extent expressly provided in contracts entered after March 29, 2006, the department of social and health services and regional support networks shall resolve existing and future disagreements regarding the subject matter identified in sections 103 and 301 of this act through nonjudicial means.” [ 2006 c 333 § 101.]
Severability2006 c 333: “If any provision of this act or its application to any person or circumstance is held invalid, the remainder of the act or the application of the provision to other persons or circumstances is not affected.” [ 2006 c 333 § 402.]
Part headings not law2006 c 333: “Part headings used in this act are not part of the law.” [ 2006 c 333 § 403.]
Effective dates2006 c 333: “This act takes effect July 1, 2006, except that sections 101 through 103, 107, 202, and 301 of this act are necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health, or safety, or support of the state government and its existing public institutions, and take effect immediately [March 29, 2006].” [ 2006 c 333 § 404.]