SB460 Summary

• Establishes licensing requirements for psychiatric residential treatment facilities serving individuals under age 21 that provide inpatient services outside acute care hospital settings and serve Medicaid-eligible patients.

• Requires these facilities to be accredited by the Joint Commission on the Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations (JCAHO) or another accrediting organization with comparable standards recognized by the state.

• Brings psychiatric residential treatment facilities under the Certificate of Need Law review process by amending Section 22-21-260, Code of Alabama 1975.

• Grandfathers existing facilities that were in continuous operation for the 12-month period before the act's effective date, automatically granting them a license and certificate of need based on nonsubstantive review.

• Becomes effective immediately upon passage and approval by the Governor.