Senate Human Services committee approves amendment and advances bill easing state-hospital evaluation requirement for geropsychiatric admissions

Summary

The Senate Human Services Committee voted unanimously to approve an amendment and gave a do-pass recommendation for Senate Bill 2081, which removes a statutory requirement that the North Dakota State Hospital evaluate every patient before admission to geriatric psychiatric units and clarifies admission priority and oversight.

Senate Human Services Committee Chair Judy Lee and a unanimous panel on Thursday advanced Senate Bill 2081 after the Department of Health and Human Services and long-term care providers said the measure would modernize how geriatric psychiatric ("gero psych") facilities accept patients.

"My name is Pam Segnus. I'm the executive director of behavioral health with Health and Human Services. And I'm here today to introduce Senate Bill 2081, which is introduced at the request of the department," Pam Segnus told the committee as she opened testimony for the bill.

The bill removes language that requires the North Dakota State Hospital to perform evaluations of people before they may be admitted to privately run gero psychiatric units, allowing facilities to accept transfers directly when a clinical evaluation already exists. The department also proposed an amendment, agreed with the Long Term Care Association, to clarify that state-hospital referrals will receive first priority while confirming that the department generally does not control individual facility admissions.

Supporters, including providers that operate the state's three gero psychiatric skilled nursing units, told the committee the change aligns state law with current…

Senate Human Services committee approves amendment and advances bill easing state-hospital evaluation requirement for geropsychiatric admissions

Summary

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