Hospital and inpatient behavioral health facilities must adhere to all regulations for behavioral health patient screening, admission, transport, transfer, discharge, and follow-up care, including those related to Jake’s Law (see A.A.C. R9-10-209.C, R9-10-225.B, and R9-10-309.B) for patients treated for suicidal attempts or ideation.

Discharge and follow-up care after inpatient stays

Consistent use of specific discharge and follow-up care procedures can improve outcomes and reduce readmission rates. These procedures align with the HEDIS^® measure Follow-Up After Hospitalization for Mental Health Illness (FUH).¹ The inpatient facility must:

	1.	Include the patient and any identified family support in developing the discharge plan and recommendations.
	2.	Assist patients in scheduling a follow-up appointment with a behavioral health practitioner* to take place within seven days of discharge. It’s considered best practice to schedule it within four calendar days. This allows time to reschedule if needed and still meet the seven-day requirement.
	3.	Provide patient education at the time of discharge on the importance of keeping all follow-up appointments and complying with other discharge recommendations and referrals.
	4.	Coordinate to ensure the patient has prescriptions to last at least until the follow-up appointment (if the patient will be discharged with medications).
	5.	Uphold the requirements in Jake’s Law for patients treated for suicidal attempts or ideation.

*The behavioral health practitioner responsible for the follow-up appointment is required to:

Ensure that the patient receives a reminder of the scheduled appointment one to two days in advance.

Leave a message, if unable to reach the patient directly with the reminder, and make another attempt to reach the patient at a different time.

Providers that qualify as a “behavioral health practitioner” for follow-up care include:

Thank you for helping to ensure that behavioral health patients get discharge and follow-up care to support their ongoing healthcare needs.

In This Issue

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May news: Executive summary

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Inpatient care: Notification and authorization updates

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Billing clarification: Inpatient and observation visits

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Include the rendering provider for "clean" claims

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Behavioral health inpatient discharge and follow-up

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BCBSAZ fee schedule updates

May is Mental Health Awareness Month:

The need for support is real every day

Blue Cross, Blue Shield, the Cross and Shield Symbols, MyBlue, BlueCard, Federal Employee Program, and FEP are registered service marks, and BluePathway and BlueJourney are service marks, of the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association, an association of independent Blue Cross and Blue Shield Plans.

HEDIS is a registered trademark of the National Committee for Quality Assurance (NCQA).

¹ Source: NCQA, “Follow-Up After Hospitalization for Mental Health Illness (FUH)”

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