2005 Washington Revised Code RCW 74.13.625: Foster health care unit — Duties. (Expires January 1, 2007.)

Within existing resources, the department shall establish a foster care health unit within the children's administration. The children's administration and the health and recovery services administration within the department shall integrally collaborate to accomplish the following tasks:

     (1) The health unit shall review and provide recommendations to the legislature by September 1, 2006, regarding issues including, but not limited to, the following:

     (a) Creation of an office within the department to consolidate and coordinate physical, dental, and mental health services provided to children who are in the custody of the department;

     (b) Alternative payment structures for health care organization. The department may consider managed care as an alternative structure for health care. The department may not implement managed care for health care services for children in foster care for cost containment purposes; however, the department may institute managed care if the managed care is in the foster child's best interest;

     (c) Improving coordination of health care for children in foster care, including medical, dental, and mental health care;

     (d) Improving access to health information available to the children's administration for providers of health services for children in foster care, including the use of the child profile as a means to facilitate access to such information;

     (e) Establishing a medical home for each child placed in foster care to ensure that appropriate, timely, and necessary quality care is available through a coordinated system of care and analyzing how a medical home might be utilized to meet the unique needs of children in foster care. In establishing a medical home, the department shall consider primary care that is accessible, continuous, comprehensive, family centered, coordinated, compassionate, and culturally effective;

     (f) Examining how existing resources are being utilized to provide health care for foster children and options for improving how the resources are utilized. Particular emphasis shall be placed on the following:

     (i) Whether the health care services provided to foster children are evidence-based;

     (ii) Whether resources are duplicative or redundant between agencies or departments in the provision of medical, dental, or mental health services for children; and

     (iii) Identification of where resources are inadequate to meet the routine and necessary medical, dental, and mental health needs of children in foster care; and

     (g) Any other issues related to medical, dental, or mental health care for children in foster care.

     (2)(a) The foster care health unit, in collaboration with regional medical consultants, shall develop a statewide, uniform role for the regional medical consultants with emphasis placed on the mental health needs of the children in foster care.

     (b) By September 1, 2006, the department shall implement the utilization of the statewide, uniform role for the regional medical consultants developed in (a) of this subsection.

     (3) This section expires January 1, 2007.

[2006 c 221 § 4.]

Finding -- 2006 c 221: See note following RCW 13.34.315.