Section 5902.

(a) In the 1991–92 fiscal year, funding sufficient to cover the cost of the basic level of care in institutions for mental disease at the rate established by the State Department of Health Services shall be made available to the department for skilled nursing facilities, plus the rate established for special treatment programs. The department may authorize a county to administer institutions for mental disease services if the county with the consent of the affected providers makes a request to administer services and an allocation is made to the county for these services. The department shall continue to contract with these providers for the services necessary for the operation of the institutions for mental disease.

(b) In the 1992–93 fiscal year, the department shall consider county-specific requests to continue to provide administrative services relative to institutions for mental disease facilities when no viable alternatives are found to exist.

(c) (1) By October 1, 1991, the department, in consultation with the California Conference of Local Mental Health Directors and the California Association of Health Facilities, shall develop and publish a county-specific allocation of institutions for mental disease funds which will take effect on July 1, 1992.

(2) By November 1, 1991, counties shall notify the providers of any intended change in service levels to be effective on July 1, 1992.

(3) By April 1, 1992, counties and providers shall have entered into contracts for basic institutions for mental disease services at the rate described in subdivision (e) for the 1992–93 fiscal year at the level expressed on or before November 1, 1991, except that a county shall be permitted additional time, until June 1, 1992, to complete the processing of the contract, when any of the following conditions are met:

(A) The county and the affected provider have agreed on all substantive institutions for mental disease contract issues by April 1, 1992.

(B) Negotiations are in process with the county on April 1, 1992, and the affected provider has agreed in writing to the extension.

(C) The service level committed to on November 1, 1991, exceeds the affected provider's bed capacity.

(D) The county can document that the affected provider has refused to enter into negotiations by April 1, 1992, or has substantially delayed negotiations.

(4) If a county and a provider are unable to reach agreement on substantive contract issues by June 1, 1992, the department may, upon request of either the affected county or the provider, mediate the disputed issues.

(5) Where contracts for service at the level committed to on November 1, 1991, have not been completed by April 1, 1992, and additional time is not permitted pursuant to the exceptions specified in paragraph (3) the funds allocated to those counties shall revert for reallocation in a manner that shall promote equity of funding among counties. With respect to counties with exceptions permitted pursuant to paragraph (3), funds shall not revert unless contracts are not completed by June 1, 1992. In no event shall funds revert under this section if there is no harm to the provider as a result of the county contract not being completed. During the 1992–93 fiscal year, funds reverted under this paragraph shall be used to purchase institution for mental disease/skilled nursing/special treatment program services in existing facilities.

(6) Nothing in this section shall apply to negotiations regarding supplemental payments beyond the rate specified in subdivision (e).

(d) On or before April 1, 1992, counties may complete contracts with facilities for the direct purchase of services in the 1992–93 fiscal year. Those counties for which facility contracts have not been completed by that date shall be deemed to continue to accept financial responsibility for those patients during the subsequent fiscal year at the rate specified in subdivision (a).

(e) As long as contracts with institutions for mental disease providers require the facilities to maintain skilled nursing facility licensure and certification, reimbursement for basic services shall be at the rate established by the State Department of Health Services. Except as provided in this section, reimbursement rates for services in institutions for mental diseases shall be the same as the rates in effect on July 31, 2004. Effective July 1, 2005, through June 30, 2008, the reimbursement rate for institutions for mental disease shall increase by 6.5 percent annually. Effective July 1, 2008, the reimbursement rate for institutions for mental disease shall increase by 4.7 percent annually.

(f) (1) Providers that agree to contract with the county for services under an alternative mental health program pursuant to Section 5768 that does not require skilled nursing facility licensure shall retain return rights to licensure as skilled nursing facilities.

(2) Providers participating in an alternative program that elect to return to skilled nursing facility licensure shall only be required to meet those requirements under which they previously operated as a skilled nursing facility.

(g) In the 1993–94 fiscal year and thereafter, the department shall consider requests to continue administrative services related to institutions for mental disease facilities from counties with a population of 150,000 or less based on the most recent available estimates of population data as determined by the Population Research Unit of the Department of Finance.

(Amended by Stats. 2005, Ch. 508, Sec. 5. Effective October 4, 2005.)