(1) Rules adopted by the department relating to the provision of behavioral health services must: (a) Identify areas in which duplicative or inefficient documentation requirements can be eliminated or streamlined for providers; (b) Limit prescriptive requirements for individual initial assessments to allow clinicians to exercise professional judgment to conduct age-appropriate, strength-based psychosocial assessments, including current needs and relevant history according to current best practices; (c) Exempt providers from duplicative state documentation requirements when the provider is following documentation requirements of an evidence-based, research-based, or state-mandated program that provides adequate protection for patient safety; and (d) Be clear and not unduly burdensome in order to maximize the time available for the provision of care. (2) Subject to the availability of amounts appropriated for this specific purpose, audits conducted by the department relating to provision of behavioral health services must: (a) Rely on a sampling methodology to conduct reviews of personnel files and clinical records based on written guidelines established by the department that are consistent with the standards of other licensing and accrediting bodies; (b) Treat organizations with multiple locations as a single entity. The department must not require annual visits at all locations operated by a single entity when a sample of records may be reviewed from a centralized location; (c) Share audit results with behavioral health administrative services organizations and managed care organizations to assist with their review process and, when appropriate, take steps to coordinate and combine audit activities; (d) Not require information to be provided in particular documents or locations when the same information is included or demonstrated elsewhere in the clinical file, except where required by federal law; and (e) Ensure that audits involving manualized programs such as wraparound with intensive services or other evidence or research-based programs are conducted to the extent practicable by personnel familiar with the program model and in a manner consistent with the documentation requirements of the program. [ 2019 c 325 s 1045; 2017 c 207 s 2.]
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