(1) As used in this section: (a) "Accountable care organization" means a managed care organization, as defined in 42 C.F.R. Sec. 438, that contracts with the Department of Health and Human Services under the provisions of Section 26B-3-202. (b) "Behavioral health provider" means a mental health provider that provides behavioral health services. (c) "Behavioral health services" means: (i) mental health treatment or services; or (ii) substance use treatment or services. (d) "Commissioner" means Utah's insurance commissioner. (e) "Database" means the statewide behavioral health provider database described in Subsection (2). (f) "Department of Health and Human Services" means the Department of Health and Human Services created in Section 26B-1-201. (g) "Division of Integrated Healthcare" means the Division of Integrated Healthcare created in Section 26B-1-204. (h) "Insurer" means: (i) an insurer as that term is defined in Section 31A-22-634; (ii) an accountable care organization; (iii) a behavioral health plan as that term is defined in Section 26B-3-203; or (iv) for an adult who is covered through the traditional fee-for-service Medicaid model in counties without Medicaid accountable care organizations or the state's Medicaid accountable care organization delivery system, the Division of Integrated Healthcare. (i) "Mental health provider" means the same as that term is defined in Section 31A-22-658. (j) "PEHP" means the Public Employees' Benefit and Insurance Program created in Section 49-20-103. (k) "Provider directory" means a provider directory created in accordance with Section 31A-22-664. (l) "Telehealth services" means the same as that term is defined in Section 26B-4-704. (m) "Telemedicine services" means the same as that term is defined in Section 26B-4-704. (2) On or before June 30, 2026, the division shall convene a working group to study and develop recommendations regarding the feasibility and cost of creating and maintaining a database of behavioral health providers in the state, including: (a) an analysis of the requirements for a statewide behavioral health provider database that: (i) is accessible to the public; (ii) allows a person accessing the database to search behavioral health providers by: (A) license status; (B) areas of specialty the behavioral health provider provides, including treatment of specific mental health diagnoses and disorders; (C) insurers with which the behavioral health provider is under contract; and (D) whether the behavioral health provider offers any or all of the following: (I) in-person services; (II) telehealth services; or (III) telemedicine services; (iii) indicates what methods of payment a behavioral health provider accepts, including whether the behavioral health provider accepts cash only; (iv) indicates a behavioral health provider's availability for scheduling an appointment; (v) for each insurer, codes by color or other method whether each behavioral health provider in the insurer's network: (A) is accepting new patients; (B) requires a prospective new patient to call for availability; or (C) is not accepting new patients; (vi) allows an insurer to access the database and update information about behavioral health providers in the insurer's network; (vii) allows a behavioral health provider to access the database and update and verify the behavioral health provider's information; (viii) allows the division to communicate with a behavioral health provider in the database to prompt the behavioral health provider to review and verify information in the database; (ix) allows the division to import information from an insurer's provider directory into the database; and (x) allows an insurer to import information about behavioral health providers in the insurer's network into the insurer's provider directory; and (b) a determination of whether existing software or technology that PEHP owns or controls meets, or could be modified to meet, the requirements for the features described in Subsection (2)(a). (3) The division shall coordinate with the Department of Health and Human Services, PEHP, the Insurance Department, and accountable care organizations to determine the membership of the working group described in Subsection (2). (4) The division shall present to the Health and Human Services Interim Committee, on or before the date of the committee's November 2026 meeting, on the recommendations described in Subsection (2).
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