Bill Summary – FastDemocracy

Legislative Analysis
                                                                                          Phone: (517) 373-8080
CMHSP PREADMISSION SCREENING UNITS                                                        http://www.house.mi.gov/hfa
House Bill 6355 as introduced                                                             Analysis available at
Sponsor: Rep. Graham Filler                                                               http://www.legislature.mi.gov
Committee: Health Policy
Complete to 9-21-22
SUMMARY:
         House Bill 6355 would amend the Mental Health Code to require a community mental
         health services program (CMHSP) preadmission screening unit to assess an individual
         being considered for hospitalization within three hours after being notified by a hospital of
         a need for an assessment. The bill also would allow the assessment to be performed by a
         clinically qualified individual if the preadmission screening unit could not complete the
         assessment within the three-hour time frame.
         Section 409 of the Mental Health Code requires each CMHSP to establish one or more
         preadmission screening units with 24-hour availability to provide assessment and screening
         services for individuals being considered for admission into in-patient or outpatient
         treatment programs. The address and phone number for the preadmission screening units
         must be provided by the CMHSPs to law enforcement agencies, the Department of Health
         and Human Services (DHHS), and hospital emergency rooms. A preadmission screening
         unit is required to assess an individual being considered for admission into a hospital
         operated by the DHHS or under contract with a CMHSP. If the individual is clinically
         suitable for hospitalization, the preadmission screening unit is required to authorize
         voluntary admission to the hospital.
                  As defined for purposes of the Mental Health Code, hospital means an inpatient
                  program operated by DHHS for the treatment of individuals with serious mental
                  illness or serious emotional disturbance or a psychiatric hospital or psychiatric unit
                  licensed under section 137 of the code.
         The bill would require that the assessment by the preadmission screening unit be performed
         within three hours after being notified for an assessment by a hospital as defined in the
         Mental Health Code (above) or by a hospital as defined in section 20106 of the Public
         Health Code.1
         If the preadmission screening unit were unable to complete the assessment within three
         hours of being notified by a hospital, a clinically qualified individual could perform the
         assessment for the hospital, CMHSP, crisis stabilization unit, or any other entity under
         contract to perform assessment and screening services required under the act. The
1
  Section 20106 defines “hospital” to mean a facility offering inpatient, overnight care, and services for observation,
diagnosis, and active treatment of an individual with a medical, surgical, obstetric, chronic, or rehabilitative condition
requiring the daily direction or supervision of a physician. The term does not include a mental health hospital licensed
or operated by DHHS or a hospital operated by the Department of Corrections.
House Fiscal Agency                                                                                           Page 1 of 2
        preadmission screening unit would be responsible for the costs of performing any
        assessment under this provision.
                Clinically qualified individual would mean an individual who has, at a minimum,
                a master’s level degree in a behavioral health specific profession.
        Telehealth services could be used to complete the assessment described in section 409.
        The bill would take effect 90 days after its enactment.
        MCL 330.1409 and 330.1972
FISCAL IMPACT:
        House Bill 6355 would have a negligible fiscal impact on the state and could increase local
        CMHSP fiscal costs to the degree in which each individual CMHSP’s preadmission
        screening unit is not completing, within three hours, assessments of individuals being
        considered for admission into a hospital and instead a clinically qualified individual
        performs the assessment.
        The local CMHSP fiscal impact will vary across each of the individual 46 CMHSPs as,
        during July 2020 through September 2020, the percentage of preadmission screenings that
        were completed by each CMHSP within three hours ranged from 93.5% to 100.0%, with a
        state aggregated average of 97.6%.
                                                         Legislative Analyst: Susan Stutzky
                                                              Fiscal Analyst: Kevin Koorstra
■ This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House Fiscal Agency staff for use by House members in their
deliberations and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.
House Fiscal Agency                                                  HB 6355 as introduced   Page 2 of 2
Statutes affected: 
House Introduced Bill: 330.1409, 330.1972