Behavioral Health
Oregon hospitals are frontline providers of behavioral health services and are often the forgotten link in the chain of care. Hospitals’ emergency departments see thousands of mentally ill patients annually. Oregonians with acute mental health issues deserve a network of care that functions smoothly and in their best interest. State and local governments, hospitals, CCOs, community leaders and mental health advocates must all work together to solve these difficult problems. Oregon Hospitals are frontline providers of behavioral health services and see thousands of mentally ill patients annually. OAHHS is a part of the statewide conversation about mental health reform and continues to advocate for solutions that will provide the highest quality of care to patients.
Behavioral Health Technical Advisory Committee
OAHHS has a Behavioral Health Technical Advisory Committee (BHTAC) that works on developing solutions and advocating for policies to advance mental health and addictions policies to better serve Oregonians. Membership includes behavioral health and emergency department hospital professionals and/or representatives of OAHHS hospitals and health systems.
Specifically, the OAHHS BHTAC serves to:
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Collaboratively develop comprehensive and forward-looking policy solutions to systemic issues within the mental health and substance abuse system in Oregon;
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Offer recommendations to the OAHHS policy and advocacy team on strategy and/or legislative concepts to improve the mental health and substance abuse system of care;
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Develop standards to improve transitions of care for behavioral health patients leaving the hospital emergency department for community settings;
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Provide the Public Policy Committee (PPC) and the board of trustees with additional reports and recommendations as requested
To contact someone about your login or to be added to the BHTAC Listserv, please email your request to
info@oahhs.org.
Meeting schedule (members only)
October 11, 2018 - 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: OAHHS, 4000 Kruse Way Place, Lake Oswego 97035, Building #2 Suite 100
December 11, 2018 - 10:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.
Location: OAHHS, 4000 Kruse Way Place, Lake Oswego 97035, Building #2 Suite 100
Inpatient Psychiatric Discharge
The Oregon Association of Hospitals and Health Systems (OAHHS) in collaboration with its members created and implemented the Inpatient Psychiatric Discharge Guidelines and Checklist for patients hospitalized for mental health treatment. These guidelines incorporate related requirements applicable to all lay caregivers as well as clarifications regarding the disclosure of protected health information. The guidelines were initially shared with all Oregon hospitals in May of 2016 in conjunction with an all-member educational webcast.
OAHHS developed the guidelines for Oregon hospitals which covers not only the provisions of HB 2023, but also its sister legislation HB 2948 related to allowable disclosure of protected health information, as well as HB 3378 related to general caregiver involvement in discharge planning. The guidelines provide an overview of all three laws as well as the ways in which the state laws align with federal requirements. The guidelines also offer other topics for hospitals to consider, such as the type of information family members may find most useful and areas where state and federal law allow for discretion.
As a follow-up to the development and implementation of the Inpatient Psychiatric Discharge Guidelines, OAHHS in collaboration with NAMI, members and other stakeholders developed a Lay-Caregiver Hospital Inpatient brochure. The brochure provides information on what to expect when a family member or friend is discharged from the hospital after receiving care for mental health. The brochure details what questions a patient, family member or lay caregiver can ask, helps to outline the role of the lay-caregiver, what to expect prior to discharge, and what to expect regarding transition, treatment and follow-up care.
OAHHS is updating the Inpatient Psychiatric Discharge Guidelines per the changes in the rules that were finalized Aug. 2, 2018. Hospitals have until Dec. 1, 2018 to comply.
Resources
Legislation, Statue and Rules
Emergency Department Release
OAHHS is developing Emergency Department Mental Health Release Guidelines for hospitals based on the rules promulgated by HB 3090. The guidelines will incorporate related requirements applicable to all emergency department requirements for the release of a patient experiencing a behavioral health crisis. OAHHS is also developing a brochure through a robust stakeholder process. Hospitals have until Dec. 1, 2018 to comply with the finalized rules.
Legislation, Statue & Rules