Committee hears bill to allow counselors to share behavioral-health disclosures for care coordination

The House Health Care & Wellness Committee on Wednesday opened public hearings on House Bill 1287, which would let certain behavioral health professionals disclose client disclosure-statement acknowledgments and related treatment information to other health-care providers for care coordination.

The bill was introduced in a staff report as a change to current statute that now requires clients to sign written acknowledgments that they received disclosure statements covering treatment choice, the right to refuse treatment and confidentiality obligations. The staff summary said HB 1287 would allow those acknowledgments and related information to be disclosed to the same extent other mental-health information may be shared under the state Uniform Health Care Information Act (chapter 70.02 RCW).

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