| 21 | 6 | | relating to general provisions related to examination and treatment for mental illness, so as2 |
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| 22 | 7 | | to require the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to create,3 |
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| 23 | 8 | | operate, and maintain an electronic inpatient psychiatric bed registry; to provide for4 |
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| 24 | 9 | | definitions; to provide for contracting with a third party; to require psychiatric facilities and5 |
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| 25 | 10 | | other providers to submit certain information to the department; to provide for accessibility6 |
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| 26 | 11 | | to the registry to end users; to provide for an advisory committee; to provide for quarterly7 |
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| 27 | 12 | | reporting to certain legislative committees; to authorize the department to establish a policy8 |
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| 28 | 13 | | for secondary use of registry data; to require the department to provide for registry data to9 |
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| 29 | 14 | | the contractor or entity that operates the Georgia Crisis and Access Line; to provide for10 |
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| 30 | 15 | | related matters; to repeal conflicting laws; and for other purposes.11 |
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| 31 | 16 | | BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:12 |
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| 32 | 17 | | SECTION 1.13 |
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| 33 | 18 | | Article 1 of Chapter 3 of Title 37 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to14 |
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| 34 | 19 | | general provisions related to examination and treatment for mental illness, is amended by15 |
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| 37 | 21 | | - 2 - |
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| 38 | 22 | | "37-3-9.17 |
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| 39 | 23 | | (a) As used in this Code section, the term:18 |
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| 40 | 24 | | (1) 'Advisory committee' means the committee established pursuant to subsection (f) of19 |
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| 41 | 25 | | this Code section.20 |
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| 42 | 26 | | (2) 'Psychiatric facility' shall have the same meaning as 'facility' as defined in paragraph21 |
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| 43 | 27 | | (7) of Code Section 37-3-1.22 |
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| 44 | 28 | | (3) 'Registry' means the electronic inpatient psychiatric bed registry created pursuant to23 |
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| 45 | 29 | | subsection (b) of this Code section.24 |
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| 46 | 30 | | (b) The department shall establish and administer an electronic inpatient psychiatric bed25 |
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| 47 | 31 | | registry. The registry shall be a web-based resource to identify available psychiatric beds26 |
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| 48 | 32 | | in this state categorized by patient gender, acuity, age, and diagnosis. The registry shall27 |
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| 49 | 33 | | be accessible through the department's website.28 |
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| 50 | 34 | | (c) The department may, by contract, delegate the creation, operation, and maintenance29 |
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| 51 | 35 | | of the registry to a private entity.30 |
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| 52 | 36 | | (d) Psychiatric facilities and other providers providing diagnosis, care, treatment, or31 |
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| 53 | 37 | | hospitalization of persons who are mentally ill as identified by the department shall be32 |
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| 54 | 38 | | required to provide the department with the number of inpatient psychiatric beds available33 |
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| 55 | 39 | | in such facilities or by such other providers at the time the information is provided. The34 |
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| 56 | 40 | | information shall be provided by psychiatric facilities and such other providers on a basis35 |
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| 57 | 41 | | as close to real time as possible. Psychiatric facilities and other providers shall provide the36 |
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| 58 | 42 | | department with such information as specified under subsection (g) of this Code section.37 |
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| 59 | 43 | | (e) The registry shall be made accessible to end users of the registry, including, but not38 |
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| 60 | 44 | | limited to, prepaid inpatient health plans, licensed health plans, community mental health39 |
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| 61 | 45 | | services programs, acute care hospitals, psychiatric facilities, and employees and caregivers40 |
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| 64 | 47 | | - 3 - |
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| 65 | 48 | | (f) The department shall establish an advisory committee to provide guidance on the42 |
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| 66 | 49 | | creation, operation, and maintenance of the registry. The advisory committee shall include43 |
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| 67 | 50 | | representatives from the following groups:44 |
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| 68 | 51 | | (1) The department;45 |
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| 69 | 52 | | (2) The Department of Community Health;46 |
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| 70 | 53 | | (3) Psychiatric facilities;47 |
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| 71 | 54 | | (4) End users of the registry as described in subsection (e) of this Code section;48 |
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| 72 | 55 | | (5) Consumers, families, and advocates; and49 |
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| 73 | 56 | | (6) Law enforcement.50 |
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| 74 | 57 | | (g) The department, in consultation with the advisory committee, shall establish51 |
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| 75 | 58 | | requirements for psychiatric facilities and other providers identified by the department to52 |
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| 76 | 59 | | report information to the department.53 |
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| 77 | 60 | | (h) The department shall provide quarterly reports on the progress of implementing the54 |
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| 78 | 61 | | registry beginning on October 1, 2023, to the chairpersons of the House Committee on55 |
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| 79 | 62 | | Health and Human Services, the Senate Health and Human Services Committee, the House56 |
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| 80 | 63 | | Appropriations Health Subcommittee, and the Senate Appropriations Community Health57 |
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| 81 | 64 | | Subcommittee.58 |
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| 82 | 65 | | (i) The department, in consultation with the advisory committee, may establish a policy59 |
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| 83 | 66 | | for the secondary use of registry data.60 |
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| 84 | 67 | | (j) The department shall provide all of the information listed on the registry created61 |
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| 85 | 68 | | pursuant to this Code section to the contractor or entity that operates or maintains the62 |
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| 86 | 69 | | Georgia Crisis and Access Line."63 |
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| 87 | 70 | | SECTION 2.64 |
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| 88 | 71 | | All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.65 |
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