This bill requires:
1. Psychiatric hospitals to provide detailed written explanations to referring hospitals for emergency admission denials that include specific reasons for the denial, circumstances under which the admission referral would be reconsidered and justification for prioritizing other admissions;
2. Psychiatric hospitals on a daily basis to report inpatient bed capacity, occupancy and locations to the Department of Health and Human Services, which is required to make the information available in real time on a publicly accessible website;
3. Psychiatric hospitals on a biennial basis to report information on inpatient bed capacity and occupancy, with the Department of Health and Human Services issuing a publicly accessible report on this information identifying statewide trends and utilization patterns regarding the use of inpatient beds; and
4. The Department of Health and Human Services to include in its biennial report identification of deficiencies contributing to denials of referrals for admission and recommendations for necessary resources to improve access to psychiatric hospitals.

Statutes affected:
Bill Text LD 1239, HP 814: 34-B.3004, 34-B.3863