Title 7 . Health and Social Services

Chapter 50 . (Reserved)

Section 845. Continued treatment

7 AAC 50.845. Continued treatment

(a) A residential psychiatric treatment center shall conduct a complete progress evaluation

(1) at least every 30 days, for each child in treatment who is not in a secure unit or program; and

(2) at least every seven days, for each child who is in a secure unit or program.

(b) If a residential psychiatric treatment center recommends, based on its evaluation under (a) of this section, that the child continue in treatment at the facility, the facility shall document in the facility's medical records that the following conditions have been met:

(1) the child continues to show evidence of a severely debilitating and persistent mental disorder or serious emotional disturbance, and

(A) the child continues to meet admission criteria under 7 AAC 50.825 or 7 AAC 50.830; or

(B) despite a decrease in episodes of aggression, self-injury, disruptive behavior, or psychotic episodes, and despite improved decision-making and interpersonal relationship skills with peers and adults, the child cannot maintain that progress without constant cues and external control as provided in the facility;

(2) the child continues to need active, medically necessary, and psychiatrist-directed treatment of a multi-disciplinary nature, under the following criteria:

(A) from the time of admission or of the last evaluation of the child for continued stay, the child has received active, multidisciplinary, goal-oriented focal treatment, the child's treatment plan prepared under 7 AAC 50.840 clearly documents in measurable, behavioral terms what has been accomplished, and what remains to be accomplished for the child to be discharged, maintained, and treated safely in a less restrictive setting;

(B) interventions to address specific objectives related to the child's individual goals, whether behavioral, developmental, interpersonal, family, or psychiatric, are documented to have occurred in a timely fashion, the success or failure of the interventions is documented, and in the event of failure, documentation shows that the interventions were changed within an aggressive time frame and the child's treatment plan revised to achieve the desired outcome;

(C) if the child has not responded to interventions, the facility has sought expert consultation in a timely fashion in the needed specialty area, including, as necessary, psychology, psychiatry, substance abuse treatment, neurology, speech and language therapy, and occupational therapy, and the child's treatment plan has been revised to include the special services;

(D) the services of the residential psychiatric treatment center can reasonably be expected to improve the child's condition in the next 60 day period after the evaluation under (a) of this section, so that residential psychiatric treatment facility services will no longer be needed or so that the facility's services will prevent further regression of the child's condition;

(E) the child's family, if in the best interests of the child, or guardian, the educational provider in the facility, and community support and treatment agencies have been and will continue to be actively involved in the treatment of the child in the facility and in planning for the child's care after discharge.

History: Eff. 6/21/2001, Register 158

Authority: AS 44.29.020

AS 47.35.010