State of Illinois
90th General Assembly
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[ House Amendment 001 ]

90_HB2329

      20 ILCS 1705/4.3          from Ch. 91 1/2, par. 100-4.3
          Amends the Mental Health and  Developmental  Disabilities
      Administrative  Act.    Provides  that  facilities  under the
      jurisdiction of the Department of  Human  Services  shall  be
      subject  to  a  site audit at least once during each 12-month
      period by the Department (now each biennum  by  the  Citizens
      Council  on  Mental  Health  and Developmental Disabilities).
      Provides that the visit shall determine compliance  with  the
      statutes   and   Department   policies  and  procedures  (now
      Department policies and procedures).   Provides  that  visits
      shall  be  made to review and follow up on complaints made by
      legislators, mental health organizations and  advocates  (now
      mental  health  agencies  and  advocates).   Provides that at
      least  3  non-profit  organizations  shall  have  access   to
      State-operated  facilities.  Provides that the purpose of the
      access is to insure there will be independant assessments  of
      each facility. Provides that the Department shall adopt rules
      governing access to the facilities.  Provides that visits may
      be   carried  out  upon  the  notification  of  a  complaint.
      Provides that review of a complaint shall be  deferred  until
      after  the  Office  of  the  Inspector  General completes its
      investigation.   Effective immediately.
                                                     LRB9007306MWpc
                                               LRB9007306MWpc
 1        AN ACT to  amend  the  Mental  Health  and  Developmental
 2    Disabilities Administrative Act by changing Section 4.3.
 3        Be  it  enacted  by  the People of the State of Illinois,
 4    represented in the General Assembly:
 5        Section  5.   The   Mental   Health   and   Developmental
 6    Disabilities   Administrative  Act  is  amended  by  changing
 7    Section 4.3 as follows:
 8        (20 ILCS 1705/4.3) (from Ch. 91 1/2, par. 100-4.3)
 9        Sec. 4.3. Site visits and inspections.
10        (a)  Each  facility  under  the   jurisdiction   of   the
11    Department  shall  be  subject  to a site visit at least once
12    during each 12-month period biennium by the Citizens  Council
13    on  Mental  Health and Developmental Disabilities as provided
14    in Section 11A-7 of the Legislative Commission Reorganization
15    Act of 1984, as now or hereafter amended.
16        (b)  The Department shall establish a  system  of  annual
17    on-site  inspections of each facility under its jurisdiction.
18    The  inspections  shall  be  conducted  by   the   Department
19    Department's central office to:
20        (1)  Determine  facility  compliance  with  the  statutes
21    relating  to  patient  care  and  the Department policies and
22    procedures;
23        (2)  Determine    facility    compliance    with    audit
24    recommendations;
25        (3)  Evaluate facility compliance with applicable federal
26    standards;
27        (4)  Review  and  follow  up  on   complaints   made   by
28    legislators,  community  mental health organizations agencies
29    and advocates, and on findings of the Human Rights  Authority
30    division of the Guardianship and Advocacy Commission; and
31        (5)  Review   administrative   and   management  problems
                            -2-                LRB9007306MWpc
 1    identified by other sources.
 2        (c)  Before January 30 of each  even-numbered  year,  the
 3    Inspector  General  shall, with the advice of the Department,
 4    certify at least 3  non-profit  organizations  whose  primary
 5    purpose  is  to  improve the quality of mental health care in
 6    State-operated facilities.  The certified organization  shall
 7    ensure  that those persons who have access under this Section
 8    comply with all statutory and regulatory provisions governing
 9    recipients' rights, confidentiality, privacy, and safety  and
10    that  any  individual  who  fails  to  comply  shall  not  be
11    permitted  to  continue  to  participate in assessments.  The
12    certified organization shall ensure  that  individuals  shall
13    not  be  permitted  to  participate  in  assessments  at  any
14    facility  at  which  their  presence  would  conflict  with a
15    recipient's right to refuse contact with  those  individuals.
16    The  Department  shall  adopt  rules  governing the certified
17    organization's access to the  facilities.   The  rules  shall
18    ensure  that  visits will be accomplished in a manner that is
19    not  disruptive  to  the  operation  of  the   State-operated
20    facility  and  shall  require that the organizations abide by
21    any clinically-dictated guidelines  imposed  by  the  Medical
22    Director  of  the  State-operated facility for conducting the
23    visits or  interviewing  individuals.   The  purpose  of  the
24    access is to insure there will be independent assessments for
25    each  State-operated  facility,  not to exceed 4 per year for
26    each facility.  However, additional visits may be carried out
27    upon the notification of a specific complaint.  In the  event
28    of  a  pending  investigation  by  the  Office  of  Inspector
29    General,  the  organization  shall  defer  its  review of the
30    complaint  until  after  the  Office  of  Inspector   General
31    completes  its investigation.  Under no circumstances shall a
32    site visitor take any action which may  impede  or  interfere
33    with  an  Office  of  Inspector  General investigation or any
34    criminal investigation being  conducted  by  State  or  local
                            -3-                LRB9007306MWpc
 1    police.   The access shall exclude all patient records unless
 2    the recipient has permitted the examination  of  his  or  her
 3    records   under   the   Mental   Health   and   Developmental
 4    Disabilities Confidentiality Act.
 5        The  Department  shall  adopt  rules  for  certifying the
 6    organizations and for establishing reasonable  standards  and
 7    procedures  for determining whether the organizations seeking
 8    certification provide appropriate training and supervision to
 9    those persons who will have access under the statute.
10        The reports of the assessments shall be provided  to  the
11    Department,  to  the Speaker of the House of Representatives,
12    the President of the  Senate,  the  Minority  Leader  of  the
13    Senate,  the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives,
14    and to others that the organizations may determine.  Under no
15    circumstances shall certification or access be denied due  to
16    a  disagreement by the Department with any positions taken by
17    the organizations with regard to public policy,  legislation,
18    or   regulation   concerning   mental  health  services,  the
19    operation  of,  or  the  quality  of  care  provided  by  the
20    Department or any mental health  provider.  Any  organization
21    suing  the  Department, using the visits to assist litigants,
22    failing to abide by the guidelines  imposed  by  the  Medical
23    Director of the facility, or otherwise failing to comply with
24    the requirements of the rules governing access shall have its
25    certification   revoked   by  the  Inspector  General.    The
26    Department  shall  adopt  rules  establishing  standards  and
27    procedures for internal review of  any  decision  denying  or
28    terminating  access  to any organization, including review by
29    the Director or his or her designee.  Any organization denied
30    access under this statute by an  administrative  decision  of
31    the  Director  or  his or her designee may have that decision
32    reviewed under the Administrative Review Act.
33        The assessments  shall  be  conducted  by  the  certified
34    organizations at no charge.
                            -4-                LRB9007306MWpc
 1    (Source: P.A. 86-1013.)
 2        Section  99.  Effective date.  This Act takes effect upon
 3    becoming law.

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