HOTLINE AND CALL CENTER COORDINATION.

(a) The commission shall establish a process to ensure all health and human services system hotlines and call centers are necessary and appropriate. Under the process, the commission shall:

(1) develop criteria for use in assessing whether a hotline or call center serves an ongoing purpose;

(2) develop and maintain an inventory of all system hotlines and call centers;

(3) use the inventory and assessment criteria the commission develops under this subsection to periodically consolidate hotlines and call centers along appropriate functional lines;

(4) develop an approval process designed to ensure that a newly established hotline or call center, including the telephone system and contract terms for the hotline or call center, meets policies and standards the commission establishes; and

(5) develop policies and standards for hotlines and call centers that:

(A) include quality and quantity performance measures and benchmarks; and

(B) may include policies and standards for:

(i) client satisfaction with call resolution;

(ii) accuracy of information provided;

(iii) the percentage of received calls that are answered;

(iv) the amount of time a caller spends on hold; and

(v) call abandonment rates.

(b) In consolidating hotlines and call centers under Subsection (a)(3), the commission shall seek to maximize the use and effectiveness of the commission's 2-1-1 telephone number.

(c) In developing policies and standards under Subsection (a)(5), the commission may allow varied performance measures and benchmarks for a hotline or call center based on factors affecting the capacity of the hotline or call center, including factors such as staffing levels and funding.