§13. Management of behavioral health resources

            In the operational management of the office of behavioral health, the department may guarantee the efficient and effective use and retention of the state's scarce behavioral health resources to adequately provide for the peace, health, safety, and general welfare of the public, by ensuring the following:

            (1) Accountability of efficient and effective services through state-of-the-art quality and performance measures and statewide standards for monitoring quality of service and performance and reporting of quality of service and performance information. These processes may be designed so as to maximize the use of available resources for direct care of people who have a mental illness or a substance-related or addictive disorder and to assure uniform data collection across the state.

            (2) Creation and implementation of minimum service delivery standards.

            (3) Coordination of integration of services offered by department and behavioral health communities, including the office of behavioral health and its respective contract providers, involved in the delivery of mental and behavioral health treatment, along with local systems and groups, public and private, such as state psychiatric hospitals, public health organizations, parish authorities, child protection, and regional support networks, aimed at reducing duplication in service delivery and promoting complementary services among all entities that provide behavioral health services to adults and children throughout the state.

            (4) Implementation of a system of reimbursement by the Medical Assistance Program to private hospitals and to state hospitals for covered Medicaid services that, to the extent possible, allocates funding in the areas of the state based on needs, population, and acuity level as determined by the department. The system of reimbursement provided for in this Paragraph may be subject to approval by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

            (5) Recognition of the respective local governing entities of the state as a focal point of all behavioral health planning activities, including budget submissions, grant applications, contracts, and other arrangements that can be effected at the state and local levels.

            (6) Performance by state agencies licensing and monitoring contracted providers in the most cost-efficient and effective manner with limited duplication and disruption to organizations providing services.

            (7) Adequate research and evaluation regarding the effectiveness of services being provided and achievement of outcome measures.

            Acts 2012, No. 506, §1; Acts 2017, No. 369, §2.