HB 1914 -- Mental Health Care Providers and Services

Sponsor:  Sater

This bill changes the laws regarding mental health care providers
and services.

FAMILY CARE SAFETY REGISTRY

Beginning January 1, 2009, the bill requires every mental health
worker to complete a registration form for the Family Care Safety
Registry.

GROUP HOMES AND MENTAL RETARDATION FACILITIES

The bill:

(1)  Defines "group home" as a residential facility serving nine
or fewer residents that provides basic health supervision,
training in skills of daily and independent living and community
integration, and social support;

(2)  Adds direct care staff in a group home or mental retardation
facility to the list of health care providers required to report
suspected abuse of a patient to the Department of Mental Health;

(3)  Requires group homes and mental retardation facilities to be
licensed by the department and be subject to all federal and
state laws and regulations;

(4)  Requires mental health workers to be subject to the same
training requirements established for state mental health workers
with comparable positions;

(5)  Requires, subject to appropriations, mental health workers
to be paid an amount at least equal to the hourly wage paid by
the state to mental health workers with comparable positions;

(6)  Requires group homes and mental retardation facilities to be
subject to the same medical error reporting requirements as other
mental health facilities and group homes;

(7)  Requires any employee of a group home or mental retardation
facility who has been placed on the employee disqualification
list to be terminated;

(8)  Requires, beginning January 1, 2009, all mental health
facilities to submit a comprehensive quarterly report on staff
and personnel turnover.  Reports must be submitted within 30 days
of the end of each calendar quarter;

(9)  Requires, beginning January 1, 2009, the Department of
Mental Health to collect information contained on the mental
health facilities' quarterly reports and submit an annual report
to the General Assembly by March 15; and

(10)  Prohibits the transfer of any person to a group home or
mental retardation facility that has received a notice of
noncompliance until there is an approved plan of correction.

PROVIDER ASSESSMENTS

The bill:

(1)  Defines "mental retardation facility" and "intermediate care
facility for the mentally retarded" relating to health care for
the developmentally disabled and provider assessments;

(2)  Requires, beginning July 1, 2008, each intermediate care
facility for the mentally retarded to pay a monthly assessment on
their net operating revenue.  Alternatively, the facility may
direct the Department of Social Services to offset the amount of
the assessment for any month from any payment made by the state
to the provider;

(3)  Creates the Intermediate Care Facility-Mentally Retarded
Reimbursement Allowance Fund for the deposit of assessment
payments;

(4)  Requires each provider to maintain records for determining
the amount of the assessment due.  Beginning July 1, 2008, each
provider must submit a report, within 45 days of the end of each
month, to the Department of Social Services with the information
needed to determine the amount of the assessment due;

(5)  Requires each provider to submit an annual report of
operating revenue.  Final assessments are payable upon the due
date of the certified annual report;

(6)  Specifies that the Department of Social Services must
withhold payments to a provider upon the receipt of notification
of delinquent payment of assessments; and

(7)  Provides guidelines for hearings and final decisions when a
provider disputes the estimated amount of the delinquent
assessment.

The provisions regarding provider assessments will expire
June 30, 2009.

Missouri House of Representatives
94th General Assembly, 2nd Regular Session
Last Updated October 15, 2008 at 3:11 pm