Section 29-899. DEFINITIONS

 

899.1When used in this chapter, the following terms and phrases shall have the meanings ascribed:

 

Activity (progress) notes - a chronological record reflecting direct and indirect services rendered to attain specified goals listed in the patient's individualized treatment plan.

 

Administrator - a qualified mental health professional, as defined in this section, or a person found to be qualified as such by the Administrator, Department of Human Services, Mental Health Administration.

 

Area mental health clinic - a program that is organized and operated to provide a comprehensive range of mental health and mental retardation treatment services to a designated geographic area.

 

Case management - coordination of activities aimed at linking patients to the service system or systems in order to achieve a successful outcome.

 

Continuity of service - an uninterpreted sequence of service coordinated by the patient's case manager.

 

Crisis situation - circumstances where a person is suddenly in such distress that his or her capacity to cope with daily activities has been seriously impaired or is dangerous to self or others, or both.

 

Current - occurring in and belonging to the present time.

 

Discharge plan - a statement of conditions(s) under which a patient shall be released from active service within the treatment program. May include, as indicated, linkages to be made with persons or agencies in the patient's natural support environment (such as family, job, housing, social groups, church, and other persons and entities).

 

Discharge summary - a written review of the outcome obtained from the delivered services, including the reason for discharge.

 

Free standing mental health clinic - a formally organized psychiatric clinic furnishing psychiatric services, under the direction of a physician who is duly credentialed in the jurisdiction(s) in which he or she practices, in a facility not administered by a hospital, but organized and operated to provide mental health services on an outpatient basis, and which is certified as such by the Department of Human Services in accordance with existing laws and regulations.

 

Goals - a statement mutually agreed upon by patient and provider of the desired outcome to be achieved as a result of the services to be rendered.

 

Individualized treatment plan - an organized statement of treatment goals, methods of intervention, and timetables to guide the service provided to the patient.

 

Least restrictive environment - the environment that meets the current needs of the patient and that is as close to the patient's natural environment as is consistent with the patient's safety.

 

Legal status - voluntary, non-protesting (self, guardian), or involuntary, court-ordered.

 

Medical history - a record of the following information, at a minimum, about the patient:

 

(a)Major surgical procedures that have been performed on the patient and any related complications;

 

(b)Any present, past, or recurring diseases; and

 

(c)The patient's current medical condition and status, including the names of physician(s) rendering current medications or other ongoing treatments to the patient.

 

Medication documentation - sequential records of all medications prescribed, dispensed, or administered by appropriate clinic staff. Must include name of drug(s), dosage, route and frequency of administration, number given, number of refills, and signatures of prescribing physician or other authorized staff rendering service.

 

Mental health professional - the following are mental health professionals, often functioning in job title (e.g., program director) other than their discipline titles:

 

(a)Physician - a person licensed to practice medicine in the jurisdiction(s) in which he or she practices;

 

(b)Psychiatrist - a physician who has completed a residency in psychiatry approved by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and who is licensed in the jurisdiction(s) in which he or she practices;

 

(c)Psychiatric nurse - a registered nurse licensed in the jurisdiction(s) in which he or she practices, who holds a Master's Degree from a school of nursing of recognized standing, and is eligible for certification as a psychiatric-mental health nursing specialist by the American Nurses' Association;

 

(d)Social worker - the holder of a Master's Degree in social work from an accredited university and social work program accredited by the Council on Social Work Education, and who meets the qualifications set by the Clinical Registers of the National Association of Social Workers and the Federation of Clinical Social Workers;

 

(e)Psychologist - the holder of a Doctoral Degree in psychology conferred by a graduate school of recognized standing who is licensed in the jurisdiction(s) in which he or she practices; and

 

(f)Other professionals - persons who are not considered automatically qualified to perform services reimbursable by Medicaid, and who are not considered eligible to serve as clinic directors, or in other positions, until and unless prior approval is granted in writing by the Administrator, DHS Mental Health Services Administration. These persons are those having equivalent professional education, training, and experience in mental health disciplines or behavioral sciences.

 

Mental status - a statement that briefly describes the patient's affect, thought processes, and orientation to time, place, person, and situation. If impairments are noted, more extensive information is obtained.

 

Natural service environment - those locations encountered by the patient in the ordinary course of life (including school or jail). In this service environment, the service delivery programs should identify useful resources already available, such as the patient's family, various self-help groups, church-sponsored groups and programs, and community groups interested in mental health.

 

Natural support system - individuals and organizations that give and receive support within the individual patient's natural environment.

 

Outcome - the patient's behavioral responses after contact with the mental health service system.

 

Paraprofessionals - persons with experience and training in specialized mental health areas who perform limited and controlled treatment activities, not directly billable to Medicaid, under the close, face-to-face supervision of a mental health professional.

 

Patient - the Medicaid eligible service recipient.

 

Patient participation - the involvement of the patient in developing and implementing the individualized treatment plan.

 

Progress review summary - a periodic written review of the patient's movement or lack of movement toward achieving the goals and objectives specified in the individualized treatment plan, and any necessary revisions of goals and modality of treatment. This includes timetables, names of service providers, and, when appropriate, discharge planning.

 

Protective service environment - those surroundings or locations which provide safeguards for the well-being of the patient and other people. This environment includes those facilities which provide around-the-clock supervised care.

 

Provider - a free standing mental health clinic certified by the Department of Human Services as eligible to participate in the D.C. Title XIX Medicaid Program.

 

Supportive service environment - a surrounding which promotes or maintains a patient's interests, participation, and responsibiities. This environment includes the programs and services provided by a community mental health/mental retardation center, or short-stay residential treatment centers.

 

Sustenance - a treatment activity aimed at maintaining the patient's intrapersonal, interpersonal, and instrumental skills.

 

Timetable - an appropriate time-frame, expressed in weeks or months, for achieveing the outcomes described in the patient's individualized treatment plan.

 

Volunteers - carefully selected persons who provide unremunerated services which are limited, controlled, and closely supervised by mental health professionals.

 

source

Final Rulemaking adopted at 29 DCR 264 (January 15, 1982).