Virginia Regulatory Town Hall
Agency
Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
 
Board
State Board of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services
 
Guidance Document Change: The purpose of this memorandum is to remind DBHDS licensed providers of the requirements and expectations for reporting serious incidents to the DBHDS Office of Licensing, pursuant to 12VAC35-46-1070.C. and 12VAC35-105-160.D.2., including the timeframe for reporting incidents; the process for reporting incidents; the allowable timeframe for adding to, amending, or correcting information reported to the Office of Licensing through the Computerized Human Rights Information System (CHRIS); and to inform providers of the processes that the Office of Licensing will follow for issuing citations, repeat citations and sanctions for violations of serious incident reporting requirements. In addition to ensuring all providers understand the regulatory requirements associated with reporting incidents, the processes outlined in this memo are central to the department’s efforts to address compliance indicators related to serious incident reporting as mandated by the US Department of Justice’s (DOJ) Settlement Agreement with Virginia.
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7/22/20  4:37 pm
Commenter: Lynn Brackenridge, Alleghany Highlands Community Services

Serious Incident Reporting
 

 

We object to the guidance document should not be in effect June 15th with the public comment period ending July 22nd. The short time period to ensure effectiveness is unreasonable and unrealistic. 

24 hour and 48 hour deadlines: We object to the requirements of 24 & 48 hour deadlines which places extra unfunded administrative burden on providers. The administrative burden for providers to collect, analyze, and report updates may be delayed in collecting the necessary information. Recommendation: Instead of the 24 hour reporting requirement in CHRIS, we propose 2 business days for reporting so that providers can collect necessary information to include in the CHRIS system. We also object the 48 hour time period to update the CHRIS system with additional medical information. Gathering outside medical information is out of the control of the provider and remains at the mercy of the outside entity to provide the requested information.

Two year time frame: We object to the two year time frame as no definition in the document as to when the two year time frame begins: calendar, fiscal, or an arbitrary date for each provider. The focus should be placed on improving care on the individuals we serve. 

 

CommentID: 84142