(a) The commission shall establish a process to ensure all health and human services system hotlines and call centers are necessary and appropriate. Under the process, the commission shall:
(1) develop criteria for use in assessing whether a hotline or call center serves an ongoing purpose;
(2) develop and maintain an inventory of all system hotlines and call centers;
(3) use the inventory and assessment criteria developed under this subsection to periodically consolidate hotlines and call centers along appropriate functional lines;
(4) develop an approval process designed to ensure that a newly established hotline or call center, including the telephone system and contract terms for the hotline or call center, meets policies and standards established by the commission; and
(5) develop policies and standards for hotlines and call centers that include both quality and quantity performance measures and benchmarks and may include:
(A) client satisfaction with call resolution;
(B) accuracy of information provided;
(C) the percentage of received calls that are answered;
(D) the amount of time a caller spends on hold; and
(E) call abandonment rates.
(a-1) In developing policies and standards under Subsection (a)(5), the commission may allow varied performance measures and benchmarks for a hotline or call center based on factors affecting the capacity of the hotline or call center, including factors such as staffing levels and funding.

(b) In consolidating hotlines and call centers under Subsection (a)(3), the commission shall seek to maximize the use and effectiveness of the commission’s 2-1-1 telephone number.

Text of section effective until April 01, 2025