| |
|
|
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
|
|
|
AN ACT
|
|
|
relating to the establishment of a work group to conduct a study on |
|
|
the feasibility of implementing an acute psychiatric bed registry. |
|
|
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF TEXAS: |
|
|
SECTION 1. (a) In this section: |
|
|
(1) "Commission" means the Health and Human Services |
|
|
Commission. |
|
|
(2) "Executive commissioner" means the executive |
|
|
commissioner of the commission. |
|
|
(3) "Inpatient mental health facility" has the meaning |
|
|
assigned by Section 571.003, Health and Safety Code. |
|
|
(b) The commission shall establish a work group to conduct a |
|
|
study on the feasibility of implementing a statewide or regional |
|
|
acute psychiatric bed registry to list available beds at inpatient |
|
|
mental health facilities for the inpatient psychiatric treatment of |
|
|
certain individuals. |
|
|
(c) The work group consists of the following members |
|
|
appointed by the executive commissioner: |
|
|
(1) the chair of the Texas Hospital Association or the |
|
|
chair's designee; |
|
|
(2) the president of the Texas Medical Association or |
|
|
the president's designee; |
|
|
(3) the president of the Texas Nurses Association or |
|
|
the president's designee; |
|
|
(4) two members who are experts in the field of |
|
|
technology; |
|
|
(5) one member who is a licensed psychiatrist; |
|
|
(6) one member who is a licensed professional |
|
|
counselor, as defined by Section 503.002, Occupations Code; |
|
|
(7) one member who works in a substance use treatment |
|
|
facility; |
|
|
(8) one member who is a representative of a hospital |
|
|
located in a rural area of this state; |
|
|
(9) one member who is a representative of a hospital |
|
|
located in a county with a population of four million or more; |
|
|
(10) one member who is a representative of a hospital |
|
|
located in an urban area of this state in a county with a population |
|
|
of less than four million; |
|
|
(11) one member who is a representative of a public |
|
|
hospital; |
|
|
(12) one member who is a representative of a private |
|
|
hospital; |
|
|
(13) one member who is a statistician; |
|
|
(14) one member who is a public health expert; and |
|
|
(15) any other member with appropriate expertise as |
|
|
the executive commissioner determines necessary. |
|
|
(d) The work group shall elect from among the membership a |
|
|
presiding officer. |
|
|
(e) The work group shall meet periodically and at the call |
|
|
of the presiding officer. |
|
|
(f) Not later than November 1, 2027, the commission shall |
|
|
prepare and submit to each standing committee of the senate and |
|
|
house of representatives having primary jurisdiction over mental |
|
|
health a written report that summarizes the results of the study |
|
|
conducted under this section. The report must: |
|
|
(1) evaluate the effect of bed registries; |
|
|
(2) include recommendations for increasing public |
|
|
awareness of bed registries; |
|
|
(3) include recommendations for leveraging financial |
|
|
incentives and legislative, regulatory, or contractual mechanisms |
|
|
to expedite the entry of data for bed registries; |
|
|
(4) assess the effect of hospital reimbursements in |
|
|
increasing bed availability; |
|
|
(5) evaluate psychiatric treatment capacity in |
|
|
relation to bed availability; and |
|
|
(6) include any other information the commission |
|
|
considers necessary. |
|
|
(g) The work group is abolished and this section expires |
|
|
November 1, 2028. |
|
|
SECTION 2. As soon as practicable after the effective date |
|
|
of this Act, the executive commissioner of the Health and Human |
|
|
Services Commission shall appoint the members to the work group |
|
|
established by this Act. |
|
|
SECTION 3. This Act takes effect September 1, 2025. |