96TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY
State of Illinois
2009 and 2010
HB5696

 

Introduced 2/9/2010, by Rep. Patricia R. Bellock - David R. Leitch - Sandy Cole - Sandra M. Pihos

 

SYNOPSIS AS INTRODUCED:
 
20 ILCS 1705/18.6 new

    Amends the Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities Administrative Act. Provides that beginning July 1, 2010, the Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health shall reinstate and fully operate the Community Hospital Inpatient Psychiatric Services ("CHIPS") Program in the same manner as it had been operated on May 1, 2009. Further provides that the Division of Mental Health shall establish and pay adequate and timely reimbursement for private community hospitals, psychiatrists, and other mental health professionals who render care under the CHIPS program using the same reimbursement methodology that was in effect on May 1, 2009, and that the Division shall adopt such regulations as shall be necessary to implement this amendatory Act. Effective immediately.


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FISCAL NOTE ACT MAY APPLY

 

 

A BILL FOR

 

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1     AN ACT concerning State government.
 
2     Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois,
3 represented in the General Assembly:
 
4     Section 5. The Mental Health and Developmental
5 Disabilities Administrative Act is amended by adding Section
6 18.6 as follows:
 
7     (20 ILCS 1705/18.6 new)
8     Sec. 18.6. Community hospital inpatient psychiatric
9 services program restoration.
10     (a) Findings. The General Assembly finds as follows:
11         (1) In 2002, the State of Illinois closed the Zeller
12     Mental Health Center in Peoria and significantly reduced
13     the capacities of the Elgin Mental Health Center and the
14     Alton Mental Health Center, severely reducing the State's
15     ability to provide inpatient psychiatric services at
16     State-operated facilities.
17         (2) In order to meet the State's obligation to
18     individuals who previously would have been treated in these
19     State-operated facilities, the Department of Human
20     Services' Division of Mental Health (DMH) established in
21     2002 a program known as the Community Hospital Inpatient
22     Psychiatric Services ("CHIPS") Program (DMH; Cost Center
23     550), under which DMH contracted with and reimbursed

 

 

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1     private community hospitals to provide acute inpatient
2     psychiatric services to individuals suffering from mental
3     illness.
4         (3) In 2009, in response to the State's budget crisis,
5     DMH eliminated all funding for the CHIPS program and
6     terminated all contracts with private community hospitals
7     for these services. The elimination of this vital program
8     threatens the health, safety, and welfare of Illinois
9     residents who are poor, uninsured, suffering from serious
10     mental illness, and require admission for inpatient
11     psychiatric services.
12         (4) With the elimination of the CHIPS program, many
13     Illinois residents with serious mental illness are forced
14     to rely on hospital emergency rooms. This interferes with
15     the orderly provision of emergency medical care to other
16     patients and can delay appropriate care for the person
17     suffering from mental illness. The elimination of CHIPS,
18     which provides an acute care option for persons in crisis,
19     also may increase homelessness and incarceration of
20     mentally ill persons.
21     (b) CHIPS program restored. Beginning July 1, 2010, the
22 Department of Human Services' Division of Mental Health shall
23 reinstate and fully operate the Community Hospital Inpatient
24 Psychiatric Services ("CHIPS") Program in the same manner as it
25 had been operated on May 1, 2009.
26     (c) Reimbursement. The Division of Mental Health shall

 

 

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1 establish and pay adequate and timely reimbursement for private
2 community hospitals, psychiatrists, and other mental health
3 professionals who render care under the CHIPS program using the
4 same reimbursement methodology that was in effect on May 1,
5 2009.
6     (d) Regulations. The Division of Mental Health shall adopt
7 such regulations as shall be necessary to implement this
8 amendatory Act of the 96th General Assembly.
 
9     Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon
10 becoming law.