Accreditation requirements for providers of behavioral health care services.

(1) As used in this section, the term “behavioral health care services” means mental health and substance abuse treatment services.

(2) Notwithstanding any provision of law to the contrary, accreditation shall be accepted by the agency and department in lieu of the agency’s and department’s facility licensure onsite review requirements and shall be accepted as a substitute for the department’s administrative and program monitoring requirements, except as required by subsections (3) and (4), for:

(a) An organization from which the department purchases behavioral health care services which is accredited by an accrediting organization whose standards incorporate comparable licensure regulations required by this state.

(b) A mental health facility licensed by the agency or a substance abuse component licensed by the department which is accredited by an accrediting organization whose standards incorporate comparable licensure regulations required by this state.

(c) A network of providers from which the department or the agency purchases behavioral health care services accredited by an accrediting organization whose standards incorporate comparable licensure regulations required by this state. A provider organization that is part of an accredited network is afforded the same rights under this part.

(3) For organizations accredited as set forth in subsection (2), before the department or the agency conducts additional monitoring for mental health services, the department and the agency must adopt rules that establish:

(a) Additional standards for monitoring and licensing accredited programs and facilities that the department and the agency have determined are not specifically and distinctly covered by the accreditation standards and processes. These standards and the associated monitoring must not duplicate the standards and processes already covered by the accrediting bodies.

(b) An onsite monitoring process between 24 months and 36 months after accreditation for nonresidential facilities to assure that accredited organizations exempt from licensing and monitoring activities under this part continue to comply with critical standards.

(c) An onsite monitoring process between 12 months and 24 months after accreditation for residential facilities to assure that accredited organizations exempt from licensing and monitoring activities under this part continue to comply with critical standards.

(4) For substance abuse services, the department shall conduct full licensure inspections every 3 years and shall develop in rule criteria which would justify more frequent inspections.

(5) The department and the agency shall be given access to all accreditation reports, corrective action plans, and performance data submitted to the accrediting organizations. When major deficiencies, as defined by the accrediting organization, are identified through the accreditation process, the department and the agency may perform followup monitoring to assure that such deficiencies are corrected and that the corrections are sustained over time. Proof of compliance with fire and health safety standards will be submitted as required by rule.

(6) The department or agency, by accepting the survey or inspection of an accrediting organization, does not forfeit its rights to monitor for the purpose of ensuring that services for which the department has paid were provided. The department may investigate complaints or suspected problems and monitor the provider’s compliance with negotiated terms and conditions, including provisions relating to consent decrees, which are unique to a specific contract and are not statements of general applicability. The department may monitor compliance with federal and state statutes, federal regulations, or state administrative rules, if such monitoring does not duplicate the review of accreditation standards or independent audits pursuant to subsections (3) and (8).

(7) For purposes of licensure and monitoring of facilities under contract with the department, the department shall rely only upon properly adopted and applicable federal and state statutes and rules.

(8) The department shall file a State Projects Compliance Supplement pursuant to s. 215.97 for behavioral health care services. In monitoring the financial operations of its contractors, the department shall rely upon certified public accountant audits, if required. The department shall perform a desk review of its contractor’s most recent independent audit and may conduct onsite monitoring only of problems identified by these audits, or by other sources of information documenting problems with the contractor’s financial management. Certified public accountants employed by the department may conduct an onsite test of the validity of a contractor’s independent audit every third year.

(9) The accreditation requirements of this section apply to contracted organizations that are already accredited immediately upon becoming law.