Section 14725.

(a) The State Department of Health Care Services shall develop a quality assurance program to govern the delivery of Medi-Cal specialty mental health services, in order to assure quality patient care based on community standards of practice.

(b) The department shall issue standards and guidelines for local quality assurance activities. These standards and guidelines shall be reviewed and revised in consultation with the California Mental Health Directors Association as well as other stakeholders from the mental health community, including, but not limited to, individuals who receive services, family members, providers, mental health advocacy groups, and other interested parties. The standards and guidelines shall be based on federal Medicaid requirements.

(c) The standards and guidelines developed by the department shall reflect the special problems that small rural counties have in undertaking comprehensive quality assurance systems.

(Added by renumbering Section 4070 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 34, Sec. 57. Effective June 27, 2012. Operative July 1, 2012, by Sec. 254 of Ch. 34. Conditionally inoperative as provided in Section 14721.)