Florida Statutes 394.468 – Admission and discharge procedures
Current as of: 2024 | Check for updates
|
Other versions
(1) Admission and discharge procedures and treatment policies of the department are governed solely by this part. Such procedures and policies shall not be subject to control by court procedure rules. The matters within the purview of this part are deemed to be substantive, not procedural.
(2) Discharge planning and procedures for any patient‘s release from a receiving facility or treatment facility must include and document the patient’s needs, and actions to address such needs, for, at a minimum:
(a) Follow-up behavioral health appointments;
Terms Used In Florida Statutes 394.468
- Department: means the Department of Children and Families. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Electronic means: means a form of telecommunication which requires all parties to maintain visual as well as audio communication when being used to conduct an examination by a qualified professional. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Facility: means any hospital, community facility, public or private facility, or receiving or treatment facility providing for the evaluation, diagnosis, care, treatment, training, or hospitalization of persons who appear to have or who have been diagnosed as having a mental illness or substance abuse impairment. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Patient: means any person, with or without a co-occurring substance abuse disorder, who is held or accepted for mental health treatment. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Physician: means a medical practitioner licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 who has experience in the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness or a physician employed by a facility operated by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs or the United States Department of Defense. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Psychiatric nurse: means an advanced practice registered nurse licensed under…. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Psychiatrist: means a medical practitioner licensed under chapter 458 or chapter 459 for at least 3 years, inclusive of psychiatric residency. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Receiving facility: means a public or private facility or hospital designated by the department to receive and hold or refer, as appropriate, involuntary patients under emergency conditions for mental health or substance abuse evaluation and to provide treatment or transportation to the appropriate service provider. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Representative: means a person selected to receive notice of proceedings during the time a patient is held in or admitted to a receiving or treatment facility. See Florida Statutes 394.455
- Treatment facility: means a state-owned, state-operated, or state-supported hospital, center, or clinic designated by the department for extended treatment and hospitalization, beyond that provided for by a receiving facility, of persons who have a mental illness, including facilities of the United States Government, and any private facility designated by the department when rendering such services to a person pursuant to the provisions of this part. See Florida Statutes 394.455
(b) Information on how to obtain prescribed medications; and
(c) Information pertaining to:
1. Available living arrangements;
2. Transportation; and
(d) Referral to:
1. Care coordination services. The patient must be referred for care coordination services if the patient meets the criteria as a member of a priority population as determined by the department under s. 394.9082(3)(c) and is in need of such services.
2. Recovery support opportunities under s. 394.4573(2)(l), including, but not limited to, connection to a peer specialist.
(3) During the discharge transition process and while the patient is present unless determined inappropriate by a physician or psychiatric nurse practicing within the framework of an established protocol with a psychiatrist a receiving facility shall coordinate, face to face or through electronic means, discharge plans to a less restrictive community behavioral health provider, a peer specialist, a case manager, or a care coordination service. The transition process must, at a minimum, include all of the following criteria:
(a) Implementation of policies and procedures outlining strategies for how the receiving facility will comprehensively address the needs of patients who demonstrate a high use of receiving facility services to avoid or reduce future use of crisis stabilization services. For any such patient, policies and procedures must include, at a minimum, a review of the effectiveness of previous discharge plans created by the facility for the patient, and the new discharge plan must address problems experienced with implementation of previous discharge plans.
(b) Developing and including in discharge paperwork a personalized crisis prevention plan that identifies stressors, early warning signs or symptoms, and strategies to deal with crisis.
(c) Requiring a staff member to seek to engage a family member, legal guardian, legal representative, or natural support in discharge planning and meet face to face or through electronic means to review the discharge instructions, including prescribed medications, follow-up appointments, and any other recommended services or follow-up resources, and document the outcome of such meeting.
When the recommended level of care at discharge is not immediately available to the patient, the receiving facility must, at a minimum, initiate a referral to an appropriate provider to meet the needs of the patient to continue care until the recommended level of care is available.