This bill seeks to improve behavioral health services in Minnesota by implementing several key modifications to existing mental health care standards and requirements. Notably, it introduces an exemption for children's day treatment providers from medication self-administration requirements when children are under the supervision of their prescriber. The bill also revises functional assessment requirements for adult clients, allowing the use of validated measurement tools, and updates staffing standards for certified mental health clinics to ensure adequate professional representation. Furthermore, it mandates the commissioner of human services to create a certification and recertification process for mental health providers to ensure compliance with necessary administrative and clinical standards.

Additional changes include adjustments to client eligibility criteria for children's therapeutic services, the removal of certain excluded services from medical assistance payment, and the inclusion of co-occurring disorder specialists in intensive nonresidential rehabilitative mental health services teams. The bill emphasizes the importance of regular team meetings and communication plans to maintain continuity of care. It also outlines operational requirements for treatment teams, including a maximum client-to-staff ratio and limits on the number of clients served. Moreover, it ensures that nonclinical staff have immediate access to mental health professionals for urgent needs and promotes data collection and performance reporting to evaluate the Youth ACT model, allowing regional treatment teams to serve multiple counties for better resource allocation.

Statutes affected:
Introduction: 245I.10, 245I.11, 245I.20, 245I.23, 256B.0943, 256B.0947