An Act To Ensure That High-quality Services Are Provided to Behavioral Health Clients

Sec. 1. 34-B MRSA §1224  is enacted to read:

§ 1224.  Standards for private behavioral health care practitioners

A private behavioral health care practitioner who contracts with or is reimbursed by the department for providing services to a client must be affiliated with a nationally accredited organization that provides oversight of the practitioner and sets standards for best practices and quality assurance, including standards governing crisis services and provision of coverage when a practitioner is unavailable or, if the private behavioral health care practitioner is not so affiliated, the practitioner must meet these same standards.

summary

This bill requires a private behavioral health care practitioner who contracts with or is reimbursed by the Department of Health and Human Services for providing services to a client to be affiliated with a nationally accredited organization that provides oversight of the practitioner and sets standards for best practices and quality assurance, including standards governing crisis services and provision of coverage when a practitioner is unavailable or, if the private behavioral health care practitioner is not so affiliated, to meet these same standards.