The Iowa House last week unanimously approved a bill designed to expand access to subacute mental health care across the state, the Telegraph Herald reported March 4. House File 2543 advanced to the Iowa Senate the same day with little discussion on the House floor. The legislation updates several provisions in current law governing subacute mental health care programs, which serve individuals who are in need of intensive, in‐person support but do not meet the criteria for continued emergency hospitalization. The measure would eliminate a current limit of 10 days for a person to receive subacute mental health care without approval of a longer period by the Iowa Department of Health and Human Services. Iowa Department of Inspections, Appeals, and Licensing officials told legislators the provision was meant to ensure patients were receiving a “rolling assessment” on their treatment, but something that could be misconstrued by health care or insurance providers to set a hard limit on care. The bill would also prohibit preauthorization requirements for being admitted to a subacute mental health care facility for the first 15 days of treatment and would limit a managed care organization (MCO) review of “medical necessity” of subacute mental health treatment for a resident to once per month, barring the first and 45‐day reviews. MCOs would also be banned from requiring residents to be discharged from a subacute program until a mental health professional supervising their treatment gives their approval.
Valerie A. Canady (Mon,) studied this question.