(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. (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. [ 2019 c 325 s 1003; 2014 c 225 s 7; 2006 c 333 s 102; 2001 c 323 s 4.]
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