Bill Text: NH SB235 | 2014 | Regular Session | Amended
Bill Title: Relative to the patients trust fund and relative to a 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)
Status: (Passed) 2014-08-05 - Signed by the Governor on 08/01/2014; Chapter 0315; Effective 07/01/2014 [SB235 Detail]
Download: New_Hampshire-2014-SB235-Amended.html
SB 235 – AS AMENDED BY THE SENATE
01/30/14 0150s
03/27/14 1077s
2014 SESSION
01/05
SENATE BILL 235
AN ACT relative to the patients’ trust fund and relative to a 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit.
SPONSORS: Sen. Reagan, Dist 17
COMMITTEE: Health, Education and Human Services
This bill clarifies the person to whom the facility is to give the quarterly reports of funds and possessions in the patients’ trust fund. This bill also requires the department of health and human services to open the 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit established in 2013, 195:1, VII, H.
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Explanation: Matter added to current law appears in bold italics.
Matter removed from current law appears [in brackets and struckthrough.]
Matter which is either (a) all new or (b) repealed and reenacted appears in regular type.
01/30/14 0150s
03/27/14 1077s
14-2654
01/05
STATE OF NEW HAMPSHIRE
In the Year of Our Lord Two Thousand Fourteen
AN ACT relative to the patients’ trust fund and relative to a 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit.
Be it Enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court convened:
1 Patients’ Trust Fund. Amend RSA 151:24, III to read as follows:
III. A written receipt shall be given to a patient or a personal representative of the patient when personal funds and possessions are received by a facility [and]. The facility shall furnish the patient or a personal representative of the patient with a quarterly statement of the funds and possessions; except that the New Hampshire hospital shall furnish a quarterly statement only upon request made by the patient or the personal representative of the patient. The statement shall contain the items and amounts received, the sources, the disposition, and the date of each transaction. Upon the discharge of a patient, the facility shall furnish the patient or a personal representative with a final statement and return all personal funds and possessions not later than 10 days after discharge. Upon the death of a patient, the facility shall furnish the executor, administrator, or voluntary administrator, upon proof of appointment, all personal funds and possessions of the deceased patient.
2 Department of Health and Human Services; New Hampshire Hospital 10-Bed Psychiatric Crisis Unit. The department shall open the 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit established by 2013, 195:1, VII, H no later than July 1, 2015. The department shall use existing appropriations to support any necessary operating costs for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2015.
3 Department of Health and Human Services; Positions Reclassified. The department shall in accordance with administrative rule He-M 303, RSA 126-A:3, or RSA 21-I:56 reclassify existing authorized, funded, and vacant positions to provide the following positions necessary to staff the 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit established in section 2 of this act:
Classification No. of Positions Labor Grade
Ward Clerk 2 10
Nurse Specialist 2 25
Registered Nurse III 9 23
Mental Health Worker II 16 11
Psychiatric Social Worker 1 23
Health Facility Cleaner II 2 08
4 Effective Date. This act shall take effect July 1, 2014.
LBAO
14-2654
Amended 04/14/14
SB 235 FISCAL NOTE
AN ACT relative to the patients’ trust fund and relative to a 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit.
FISCAL IMPACT:
The Department of Health and Human Services states this bill, as amended by the Senate (Amendment #2014-1077s), will increase state general fund expenditures by $305,614 in FY 2015. There will be no fiscal impact on county or local revenue and expenditures.
METHODOLOGY:
The Department of Health and Human Services states this bill requires the Department to open the 10-bed psychiatric crisis unit in New Hampshire Hospital established in the capital budget, (Chapter 195:1, VII, H, Laws of 2013), by July 1, 2015. The Department indicates HB 624-FN of the 2014 Legislative Session includes capital funds necessary to open the unit sooner than anticipated in the capital budget. In addition, the Department shall reclassify existing vacant positions to provide the staff needed to operate the unit. The Department states the hospital will need to have the appropriate staffing in place by July 1, 2015 in order to comply with Joint Commission standards and CMS regulations. The Department indicates the costs in FY 2015 will include 32 new full-time positions, initial furnishings, and fixtures, including an automated medication dispenser. Based on the Hospital’s experience, recruitment of qualified clinical personnel such as registered nurses and nurse specialists requires a lead time of up to nine months. The Department assumes nine registered Nurse III positions, and two Nurse Specialists will need to be hired by March 1, 2015 in order to complete training on the Hospital’s policies and operating procedures. To accomplish this, the Department states it must commence recruitment no later than November 1, 2014. In addition, the Department states 16 Mental Health Worker II’s, two Ward Clerk II’s, two Health Facility Cleaner III’s, and a Psychiatric Social Worker will need to be hired no later than May 1, 2015 in order to complete the orientation period. The Department estimated the following operating costs based on current patient care unit costs and assuming the unit will be fully operational including a 3% inflation rate in future years. The Department states the operating costs in FY 2015 will be covered by existing appropriations. There will be no federal revenue or agency income until FY 2016 since the unit will open on July 1, 2015. The Department indicates the costs beyond FY 2015 are not directly related to this bill as the unit was established by the FY 2014-15 capital budget and funding in future years will be requested in future operating budgets.
Future Operating Budgets
FY 2015
FY 2016
FY 2017
FY 2018
Salaries: 2 Ward Clerks, 2 Nurse Specialists, 9 Registered Nurse III, 16 Mental Health Worker II, 1 Psychiatric Social Worker, and 2 Health Facility Cleaners:
$159,950
$1,205,616
$1,241,785
$1,279,038
Overtime Pay :
0
$24,544
$25,280
$26,038
Holiday Pay:
0
$20,081
$20,684
$21,304
Current Expense:
0
$7,550
$7,777
$8,010
Rents- Leases:
$8,811
$35,244
$35,244
$35,244
Equipment:
$50,000
$5,000
$5,000
$5,000
Benefits:
$86,853
$663,485
$683,125
$703,354
Prescription Drug Expenses:
0
$127,500
$131,325
$135,265
Medical Payments to Providers:
0
$66,938
$68,946
$71,015
Contracts for Program Services:
0
$234,550
$241,587
$248,834
Total Costs:
$305,614
$2,390,508
$2,460,753
$2,533,102
Source of Funds
Federal Funds
0
$738,667
$760,373
$782,728
Agency Income
0
$1,018,357
$1,048,281
$1,079,101
General Fund:
$305,614
$633,484
$652,099
$671,273
Totals Source of Funds:
$305,614
$2,390,508
$2,460,753
$2,533,102
