04/19/1999 01:38 PM Senate HES

                                                                                                                                
            SB  97-MENTAL HEALTH; RECORDS; TREATMENT                                                                            
                                                                                                                                
CHAIRMAN MILLER called the Senate Health, Education and Social                                                                  
Services (HESS) Committee to order at 1:38 p.m. and brought up SB
.                                                                                                                             
                                                                                                                                
MS. GINA MACDONALD, Division of Mental Health & Developmental                                                                   
Disability, Department of Health & Social Services, discussed the                                                               
differences between SB 97 and the proposed CS (Draft G Lauterbach).                                                             
The CS removes the confidentiality portion and makes a couple                                                                   
procedural changes relating to Designated Evaluation and Treatment                                                              
(DET) facilities, or hospitals providing in-patient services for                                                                
people in mental health crisis.  These changes clarify and separate                                                             
procedures for billing and payment for someone receiving hospital                                                               
services at API or at a private hospital facility.  The department                                                              
can bill and order payment for API services, but the DET facility                                                               
or private hospital itself would bill the patient.  The other                                                                   
addition to the bill allows hospitals to apply for these benefits                                                               
on behalf of a patient so disabled by mental illness he or she is                                                               
unable to submit an application.                                                                                                
                                                                                                                                
Number 050                                                                                                                      
                                                                                                                                
MS. SHANNON 'FALLON, Assistant Attorney General with the Human                                                                  
Services Section at the Department of Law, added that the legal                                                                 
drafter, Terri Lauterbach, had questions relating to language that                                                              
needed clarification, and this CS clears those up.                                                                              
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR ELTON asked the sponsor, Senator Kelly, if concerns were                                                                
worked out with Bob Briggs of the Disability Law Center.                                                                        
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KELLY replied they accommodated Mr. Briggs on one or two                                                                
points but were unable to give him all of the points he wanted.                                                                 
This is the optimum level of agreement that can be reached on the                                                               
bill. He moved to adopt CSSB 97(HES) Draft G as the working                                                                     
version.  Without objection, it was adopted.                                                                                    
                                                                                                                                
SENATOR KELLY moved CSSB 97(HES) Draft G from committee with                                                                    
individual recommendations and its accompanying fiscal note.                                                                    
Without objection, it was so ordered.