Virginia § 32.1-331.05 - Coordinated specialty care; work group

§ 32.1-331.05. Coordinated specialty care; work group

A. The Department shall establish a work group in coordination with the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services to evaluate and make recommendations to improve approaches to early psychosis and mood disorder detection approaches, make program funding recommendations, and recommend a core set of standardized clinical and outcome measures. Early psychosis intervention includes services to youth and young adults who are determined to either be at a clinical high risk for psychosis or are experiencing a first episode of psychosis.

B. The work group shall include (i) a representative from the Bureau of Insurance; (ii) a representative from the Department of Health Professions; (iii) a representative from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services; (iv) a psychiatrist with working knowledge of first-episode psychosis and coordinated specialty care; (v) a mental health clinician with working knowledge of first-episode psychosis and coordinated specialty care; (vi) a support services specialist with experience in supported education and employment; (vii) a representative of a state, regional, or local mental health advocacy group as recommended by such group; (viii) an individual who has experienced psychosis or a family member of an individual who has experienced psychosis; and (ix) up to three representatives of health insurance issuers or managed care organizations operating in the Commonwealth as recommended by such issuers or organizations.

C. The work group shall develop a five-year strategic plan to accomplish the following objectives:

1. Enhance services to existing coordinated specialty care programs;

2. Expand early psychosis intervention in underserved areas of the Commonwealth;

3. Develop a strategy to identify and apply for funds from individual foundations and federal and state sources and disburse those funds; and

4. Develop a strategy to advance the goals and utilization of coordinated specialty care for Medicaid beneficiaries and individuals who are privately insured.

The strategic plan shall identify current coordinated specialty care programs in the Commonwealth and include information on how they are funded, how many individuals use the current programs, and the insurance status of the programs. As used in this section, "coordinated specialty care" means a team-based service provided to a person for treatment of first-episode psychosis that is composed of case management, family support and education, pharmacotherapy and medication management, individual and group psychotherapy, supported education and employment, coordination with primary care, and outreach and recruitment activities.

D. The work group shall meet to produce an initial five-year plan report to the General Assembly no later than November 1, 2022, and then provide annual updates to the five-year strategic plan beginning November 1, 2023.

2022, c. 621.