Mental Health Bed Monitoring
Under legislation passed in 2022 (MN Statutes, Section 144.551, Subd 1a), hospitals may add mental health beds, or construct a new mental health hospital, without a public interest review or statutory exception to the hospital moratorium, under certain conditions.
The Minnesota Department of Health (MDH) is tasked with monitoring the new beds or hospitals to ensure that statutory conditions are met. MDH must also collect data to inform a study on inpatient mental health care access and quality.
MDH is working with Wilder Research in the fall of 2023 to better understand the underlying reasons for discharge delays in both hospital emergency departments and inpatient care. the findings from this study will serve to inform policy and practice within Minnesota's mental health infrastructure—including the evaluation of mental health bed expansion.
Discharge Delay Study webpage
MDH preliminary plan to monitor beds and study inpatient mental health care access and quality
- Request for Information (May 2023)
- Review existing data available to MDH (Spring/Summer 2023)
- Create written guidance, including reporting requirements for hospitals adding beds or for entities seeking a new license under MN Statutes 144.551, Subd. 1a (Summer 2023)
- Annual request to hospitals for additional data related to mental health care, if needed (Fall 2023 and thereafter)
- Release an annual update on any new licensed beds added under this exception (Annually)
- Report assessing access and quality of inpatient mental health care (2027)
Requirements for projects adding inpatient mental health beds
All inpatient mental health beds added during the exception period must:
- Be used exclusively for the provision of mental health services
- Accept patients with Medical Assistance (Medicaid) and MinnesotaCare health insurance coverage
- Abide by the terms of the Minnesota Attorney General Hospital Agreement on discounted care and billing practices
- Provide for the physical health needs of patients by having an arrangement with the tertiary care facility or enough medical specialists to determine and arrange for appropriate treatment for medical conditions
- Submit information necessary for a study of inpatient mental health care access and quality
MDH is required to assess if these conditions are being met and conduct a study of inpatient mental health care access and quality. If you have specific questions about mental health bed monitoring, please contact. health.pir@state.mn.us.
Context
MDH has a long-standing role in the oversight of hospitals in order to protect, maintain, and improve health. MDH licenses hospitals and performs routine site visits to make sure hospitals meet licensing requirements for their physical space; hospitals are also required to be accredited by one of two accrediting groups.
Since 2004, Minnesota law has required a public interest review to be conducted for hospitals seeking exceptions to the state's hospital bed moratorium law [Minnesota Statutes Chapter 144.552 (revisor.mn.gov)]. Under this requirement, a hospital seeking to increase its number of licensed beds or an organization seeking to obtain a hospital license must submit a plan to MDH to issue a finding of whether the plan is in the public interest.
In 2022, the Minnesota Legislature created an exception to the moratorium law [Minnesota Statues, Section 144.551 Subd. 1a (revisor.mn.gov)] for projects that seek to establish inpatient mental health beds for the duration of August 1, 2022, and July 31, 2027.
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