Louisiana Administrative Code
Title 48 - PUBLIC HEALTH-GENERAL
Part I - General Administration
Subpart 1 - General
Chapter 16 - Admissions Criteria for Inpatient Facilities
Section I-1607 - Inpatient Mental Health Facilities Operated by the Office of Mental Health

Universal Citation: LA Admin Code I-1607

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 12, December 20, 2024

A. In order to be admitted a person must qualify as a candidate for services in an inpatient setting as indicated on a published Level of Functioning Scale or other instrument identified by the Office of Mental Health as clinically appropriate. Such Level of Functioning Scale must be based on scientifically accepted practice standards and must demonstrate adequate psychometric properties of validity and reliability. The person must also meet the standard for inpatient care as specified in the Office of Mental Health Single Point of Entry (SPOE) Admissions Criteria, which is specified in the following.

B. Adult Admission Criteria. At least one criterion from Severity of Illness must be met and all of the Intensity of Service Criteria must be met.

1. Severity of Illness Criteria (Must meet one or more of a, b, or c)
a. Patient presents as a danger to self as evidenced by:
i. a suicide attempt within the past 72 hours; or

ii. documentation that the patient has a current suicide plan, specific suicide intent, or recurring suicidal ideation; or

iii. documentation of self-mutilative behavior occurring within the past 72 hours.

b. Patient presents as a danger to others due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis as evidenced by any of the following:
i. dangerously aggressive behavior during the past seven days due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis; or

ii. threats to kill or seriously injure another person with the means to carry out the threat and the threatening behavior is due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis; or

iii. documentation that the patient has a current homicide plan, specific homicidal intent, or recurrent homicidal ideation and this is due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis.

c. Patient is gravely disabled and unable to care for self due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis as evidenced by:
i. documentation of a serious impairment in function (as compared to others of the same age) in one or more major life roles (school, job, family, interpersonal relations, self-care, etc.) due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis; and

ii. patient presents with acute onset or acute exacerbation of hallucinations, delusions, or illusions of such magnitude that the patient's well-being is threatened; or

iii. an inability of the patient to comply with prescribed psychiatric and/or medical health regimens as evidenced by the following:
(a). patient has a history of de-compensation without psychotropic medications and patient refuses to use these medications as an outpatient; or

(b). patient is at risk of health or life due to non-compliance with medical regimens (e.g., insulin-dependent diabetes, etc.) and patient refuses these medical regimens as an outpatient.

2. Intensity of Service Criteria
a. Treatment of the patient's psychiatric condition requires services on an inpatient hospital basis. These services include, but are not limited to:
i. suicide precautions, unit restrictions, and continual observation and limiting of behavior to protect self or others;

ii. active intervention by a psychiatric team to prevent assaultive behavior;

iii. 24 hour observation and medication stabilization necessitated by patient behaviors that indicate a therapeutic level of medication has not been reached; and

b. services provided in the hospital can reasonably be expected to improve the patient's condition or prevent further regression so that the services will no longer be needed by the patient; and

c. services in the community do not meet, and/or do not exist to meet the treatment needs of the patient, or the patient has been unresponsive to treatment at a less intensive level of care.

C. Children's Admission Criteria. At least one criterion from Severity of Illness must be met, and all of the Intensity of Service Criteria must be met.

1. Severity of illness criteria must meet one or more of Subparagraph a, b, or c:
a. the child is a danger to self (Clauses i, ii, iii or iv and v must exist to meet this criterion):
i. the child has made an attempt to take his/her own life in the last 24 hours. Details of the attempt must be documented; or

ii. the child has demonstrated self-mutilative behavior within the past 24-hours. Details of behavior must be documented; or

iii. the child has a clear plan to seriously harm him/herself, overt suicidal intent, recurrent suicide thoughts, and lethal means available to follow the plan. This information can be from the child or a reliable source. Details of the plan must be documented; or

iv. due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis, the child is in serious danger of dying or sustaining grave bodily injury to him/her self; and

v. it is the judgment of a mental health professional that the child is at a significant risk of making a suicide attempt or due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis, is in serious danger of dying or sustaining grave bodily injury to him/herself without immediate inpatient intervention;

b. the child is a danger to others or property due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis as indicated by: (Clauses i, ii, or iii and iv must exist and include the specific DSM criteria that justify this diagnosis):
i. the child has actually engaged in behavior harmful or potentially harmful to others or caused serious damage to property, which would pose a serious threat of injury, or harm to others within the last 24 hours. Description of the behavior and extent of injury or damage must be documented, as well as the time the behavior occurred relative to present; or

ii. the child has made threats to kill or seriously injure others or seriously damage property, which would pose a threat of injury or harm to others, and has effective means to carry out the threats. Details of the threats must be documented; or

iii. a mental health professional has information from the child or a reliable source that the child has a current plan, specific intent, or recurrent thoughts to seriously harm others or property. Details must be documented; and

iv. it is the judgment of a mental health professional that the child is at a significant risk of making a homicide attempt or engaging in other seriously aggressive behavior without immediate inpatient intervention;

c. the child is gravely disabled due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis as indicated by (Clauses i, and either ii, iii or iv must exist and include the specific DSM criteria that justify this diagnosis):
i. the child has serious impairment of functioning compared to others of the same age in one or more major life roles (school, family, interpersonal relations, self-care, etc.) Specific descriptions of the following must be documented:
(a). deficits in control, cognition or judgment;

(b). circumstances resulting from those deficits in self-care, personal safety, social/family functioning, academic or occupational performance;

(c). prognostic indicators which predict the effectiveness of inpatient treatment; and

ii. severe thought disorganization or clinical deterioration or the acute onset of psychosis has rendered the child unmanageable and unable to cooperate in non-hospital treatment; or

iii. there is a need for medication therapy or complex diagnostic testing where the child's level of functioning precludes cooperation with treatment in an outpatient or non-hospital based regimen, and may require close supervision of medication and/or forced administration of medication; or

iv. a medical condition co-exists with a DSM Axis I diagnosis which, if not monitored/treated appropriately, places the child's life or well-being at serious risk.

2. Intensity of Service Criteria
a. Treatment of the patient's psychiatric condition requires services on an inpatient hospital basis. These services include, but are not limited to:
i. suicide precautions, unit restrictions, and continual observation and limiting of behavior to protect self or others;

ii. active intervention by a psychiatric team to prevent assaultive behavior;

iii. 24 hour observation and medication stabilization necessitated by patient behaviors that indicate a therapeutic level of medication has not been reached; and

b. services provided in the hospital can reasonably be expected to improve the patient's condition or prevent further regression so that the services will no longer be needed by the patient; and

c. services in the community do not meet, and/or do not exist to meet the treatment needs of the patient, or the patient has been unresponsive to treatment at a less intensive level of care.

D. Exclusionary Criteria-Adult. If one or more of the following is met, admission is denied.

1. Patient has a major medical or surgical illness or injury that would prevent active participation in a psychiatric treatment program (patients must be medically stable).

2. Patient has criminal charges pending and does not have a DSM Axis I diagnosis.

3. Patient has anti-social behaviors that are a danger to others and those anti-social behaviors are characterological rather than due to a DSM Axis I diagnosis.

4. Patient has a DSM Axis II diagnosis of mental retardation without an accompanying DSM Axis I diagnosis.

5. Patient has a Substance Abuse Disorder as defined in DSM and does not otherwise meet the severity of illness and intensity of service criteria.

E. Exclusionary Criteria-Children. If one or more of the following is met, admission is denied.

1. The child has a major medical or surgical illness or injury that prevents active participation in a psychiatric treatment program.

2. The child has criminal charges pending and does not otherwise meet severity of illness and intensity of service criteria.

3. The child has anti-social behaviors that are a danger to others and does not have a DSM Axis I diagnosis.

4. The child has a DSM Axis II diagnosis of mental retardation and does not otherwise meet severity of illness and intensity of service criteria.

5. The child lacks a place to live and/or family supports and does not otherwise meet severity of illness and intensity of service criteria.

6. The child has been suspended or expelled from school and does not otherwise meet severity of illness and intensity of service criteria.

7. The child has a substance abuse disorder as defined in DSM and does not otherwise meet the severity of illness and intensity of service criteria.

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 28:20.

Disclaimer: These regulations may not be the most recent version. Louisiana may have more current or accurate information. We make no warranties or guarantees about the accuracy, completeness, or adequacy of the information contained on this site or the information linked to on the state site. Please check official sources.
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