An Act To Assist Patients in Need of Psychiatric Services

CONCEPT DRAFT SUMMARY

This bill is a concept draft pursuant to Joint Rule 208.

This bill proposes to take steps to help provide acute psychiatric care in an inpatient setting by increasing the availability of inpatient beds.

The bill will seek to do the following:

1. Create and fund additional psychiatric beds for geriatric patients;

2. Review and make changes to the bed hold regulations for nursing homes and group homes to create incentives to take difficult mental health patients back after a hospital stay;

3. Review and make changes to the bed hold regulations for nursing homes and group homes to create penalties for facilities that refuse to take difficult mental health patients back after a hospital stay;

4. Provide psychiatric urgent care centers with accompanying medically supervised crisis beds;

5. Create and fund additional psychiatric observation units;

6. Create an effective and professional mental health placement rapid response team or ombudsman in the Department of Health and Human Services; and

7. Provide additional MaineCare reimbursement for long-stay mental health emergency department patients and patients awaiting placement in psychiatric units.