(a) Each local mental health plan shall establish a procedure to ensure access to outpatient specialty mental health services, as required by the Early Periodic Screening and Diagnostic Treatment program standards, for any child in foster care who has been placed outside his or her county of adjudication.
(b) The procedure required by subdivision (a) may be established through one or more of the following:
(1) The establishment of, and federal approval, if required, of, a statewide system or procedure.
(2) An arrangement between local mental health plans for reimbursement for services provided by a mental health plan other than the mental health plan in the county of adjudication and designation of an entity to provide additional information needed for approval or reimbursement. This arrangement shall not require providers who are already credentialed or certified by the mental health plan in the beneficiary’s county of residence to be credentialed or certified by, or to contract with, the mental health plan in the county of adjudication.
(3) Arrangements between the mental health plan in the county of adjudication and mental health providers in the beneficiary’s county of residence for authorization of, and reimbursement for, services. This arrangement shall not require providers credentialed or certified by, and in good standing with, the mental health plan in the beneficiary’s county of residence to be credentialed or certified by the mental health plan in the county of adjudication.
(c) The department shall collect and keep statistics that will enable the department to compare access to outpatient specialty mental health services by foster children placed in their county of adjudication with access to outpatient specialty mental health services by foster children placed outside of their county of adjudication.
(Added by renumbering Section 5777.6 by Stats. 2012, Ch. 34, Sec. 177. (SB 1009) Effective June 27, 2012. Operative July 1, 2012, by Sec. 254 of Ch. 34. Conditionally inoperative as provided in Section 14721.)