House Bill 677 (RULES COMMITTEE SUBSTITUTE)
By: Representatives Dempsey of the 13th, Taylor of the 173rd, Hawkins of the 27th, Hatchett
of the 155th, and Oliver of the 84th
A BILL TO BE ENTITLED
AN ACT
To amend Chapter 1 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to
general provisions of health, so as to provide for certain placement procedures for children
upon discharge from a hospital or psychiatric residential treatment facility in certain
circumstances; to provide for related matters; to provide for applicability; to repeal
conflicting laws; and for other purposes.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF GEORGIA:
SECTION 1.
Chapter 1 of Title 31 of the Official Code of Georgia Annotated, relating to general
provisions of health, is amended by adding a new Code section to read as follows:
<ins>"31-1-26.
(a) As used in this Code section, the term:
(1) 'Acute psychiatric care' means a level of care that is highly structured for patients
who are a risk to themselves or others.
(2) 'Health benefit policy' means any individual or group plan, policy, or contract for
major medical, hospitalization, or other healthcare services issued, delivered, issued for
delivery, or renewed in this state by a healthcare corporation, health maintenance
</ins>
<ins>organization, preferred provider organization, accident and sickness insurer, fraternal
benefit society, hospital service corporation, medical service corporation, or any similar
entity. Such term shall not include contracts executed by the State of Georgia on behalf
of state employees under Article 1 of Chapter 18 of Title 45.
(b) Every hospital and psychiatric residential treatment facility in this state shall adhere
to the following procedures for instances in which the parent, guardian, or legal custodian
of a child not in the custody of the Department of Human Services through the Division of
Children and Family Services who has received psychiatric care or acute psychiatric care
at such hospital or facility fails to take physical custody of such child within 48 hours of
a physician's discharge order from such hospital or facility:
(1) A task force shall be assembled which shall consist of a care coordinator, the child's
treating psychiatrist at the hospital or facility, or, if unavailable, the hospital or facility's
medical director, and, if applicable, a representative of the Department of Human
Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the health
benefit policy of the child, and the Medicaid care management organization of such child;
and
(2) Such task force shall meet without delay to determine an appropriate medical or
community placement of such child into an appropriate environment."
</ins> SECTION 2.
Each task force affected by this Act shall submit by the end of each month following the
effective date of this Act such information as may be requested by the Multi-Agency
Treatment for Children (MATCH) Committee within the Georgia Department of Behavioral
Health and Developmental Disabilities. Such department shall submit a report to the
chairpersons of the House Appropriations Committee and the Senate Appropriations
Committee by December 31 of the year following the year in which this Act becomes
effective. Such report shall include the number of children and length of stay of such
children at a hospital or psychiatric residential treatment facility during the year that the
report is submitted but for a period of time no later than December 1 of that year.
SECTION 3.
All laws and parts of laws in conflict with this Act are repealed.