Referrals

(A) To ensure that members receive services not available from the program but required by their comprehensive treatment plan or aftercare plan, a psychiatric day treatment program must have effective methods to promptly and efficiently refer these members to community resources. This requires that the staff know the resources available in the community, maintain a file of appropriate addresses, telephone numbers, and contact persons, have standing agreements with these resources as necessary, and prepare for and follow up referrals through case conferences, written communications, and other less formal procedures. (1) Emergency Service Team. The program, or parent corporation, must maintain a member-specific crisis plan and have established communication and referral protocols with the local emergency services program (ESP) to ensure expeditious access to emergency psychiatric care and hospitalization when necessary. (2) Ambulatory Health Care Provider. The program must establish and maintain a transfer agreement with a MassHealth-participating ambulatory care provider to provide screening, diagnosis, and treatment services. (3) Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission. The program must establish and maintain a documented affiliation agreement with the local office of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission to provide evaluation and rehabilitation services to members approaching discharge from the program. The agreement may allow for placement of a Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission employee on site in the psychiatric day treatment program. (4) Other Resources. The program must document the establishment of effective methods for providing its members with housing, employment, recreation, transportation, education, social services, health care, and legal services through referral to appropriate community agencies. (B) If the psychiatric day treatment program is operated by a community health center, the program is deemed to be in compliance with the requirements for referral services listed in 130 CMR 417.414(A), if the community health center provides the services and the psychiatric day treatment program has established relationships and communication with the community health center's primary care staff. (130 CMR 417.415 through 417.420 Reserved)