2000 Minnesota Statutes

     245.4885 Screening for inpatient and residential 
  treatment. 

    Subdivision 1.    Screening required.  The county board 
 shall, prior to admission, except in the case of emergency 
 admission, screen all children referred for treatment of severe 
 emotional disturbance to a residential treatment facility or 
 informally admitted to a regional treatment center if public 
 funds are used to pay for the services.  The county board shall 
 also screen all children admitted to an acute care hospital for 
 treatment of severe emotional disturbance if public funds other 
 than reimbursement under chapters 256B and 256D are used to pay 
 for the services.  If a child is admitted to a residential 
 treatment facility or acute care hospital for emergency 
 treatment or held for emergency care by a regional treatment 
 center under section 253B.05, subdivision 1, screening must 
 occur within three working days of admission.  Screening shall 
 determine whether the proposed treatment:  

    (1) is necessary; 

    (2) is appropriate to the child's individual treatment 
 needs; 

    (3) cannot be effectively provided in the child's home; and 

    (4) provides a length of stay as short as possible 
 consistent with the individual child's need. 

    Screening shall include both a diagnostic assessment and a 
 functional assessment which evaluates family, school, and 
 community living situations.  If a diagnostic assessment or 
 functional assessment has been completed by a mental health 
 professional within 180 days, a new diagnostic or functional 
 assessment need not be completed unless in the opinion of the 
 current treating mental health professional the child's mental 
 health status has changed markedly since the assessment was 
 completed.  The child's parent shall be notified if an 
 assessment will not be completed and of the reasons.  A copy of 
 the notice shall be placed in the child's file.  Recommendations 
 developed as part of the screening process shall include 
 specific community services needed by the child and, if 
 appropriate, the child's family, and shall indicate whether or 
 not these services are available and accessible to the child and 
 family.  

    During the screening process, the child, child's family, or 
 child's legal representative, as appropriate, must be informed 
 of the child's eligibility for case management services and 
 family community support services and that an individual family 
 community support plan is being developed by the case manager, 
 if assigned.  

    Screening shall be in compliance with section 256F.07 or 
 260C.212, whichever applies.  Wherever possible, the parent 
 shall be consulted in the screening process, unless clinically 
 inappropriate.  

    The screening process, and placement decision, and 
 recommendations for mental health services must be documented in 
 the child's record.  

    An alternate review process may be approved by the 
 commissioner if the county board demonstrates that an alternate 
 review process has been established by the county board and the 
 times of review, persons responsible for the review, and review 
 criteria are comparable to the standards in clauses (1) to (4).  

    Subd. 2.    Qualifications.  No later than July 1, 1991, 
 screening of children for residential and inpatient services 
 must be conducted by a mental health professional.  Where 
 appropriate and available, culturally informed mental health 
 consultants must participate in the screening.  Mental health 
 professionals providing screening for inpatient and residential 
 services must not be financially affiliated with any acute care 
 inpatient hospital, residential treatment facility, or regional 
 treatment center.  The commissioner may waive this requirement 
 for mental health professional participation after July 1, 1991, 
 if the county documents that: 

    (1) mental health professionals or mental health 
 practitioners are unavailable to provide this service; and 

    (2) services are provided by a designated person with 
 training in human services who receives clinical supervision 
 from a mental health professional. 

    Subd. 3.    Individual placement agreement.  The county 
 board shall enter into an individual placement agreement with a 
 provider of residential treatment services to a child eligible 
 for county-paid services under this section.  The agreement must 
 specify the payment rate and terms and conditions of county 
 payment for the placement. 

    Subd. 4. Repealed, 1993 c 337 s 20 

    Subd. 5.    Summary data collection.  The county board 
 shall annually collect summary information on the number of 
 children screened, the age and racial or ethnic background of 
 the children, the presenting problem, and the screening 
 recommendations.  The county shall include information on the 
 degree to which these recommendations are followed and the 
 reasons for not following recommendations.  Summary data shall 
 be available to the public and shall be used by the county board 
 and local children's advisory council to identify needed service 
 development.  

    HIST: 1989 c 282 art 4 s 51; 1990 c 568 art 5 s 26,27; 1991 c 
 292 art 6 s 23-25; 1995 c 207 art 8 s 11; 1999 c 139 art 4 s 2