Wyoming Administrative Code
Agency 048 - Health, Department of
Sub-Agency 0077 - Mental Health and Substance Use Disorder Services
Chapter 1 - GENERAL PROVISIONS
Section 1-3 - Definitions

(i) "Administrator" means the Senior Administrator of the Wyoming Department of Health, Behavioral Health Division, as well as the Senior Administrator's designees.

(ii) "Adverse action" means:

(iii) "BHC-Full Benefit Plan" means the Behavioral Health Center (BHC) Full benefit plan, which covers a comprehensive set of mental health and substance use disorder treatment services at behavioral health centers. The BHC-Full benefit plan is a non-Medicaid benefit plan, it does not cover pharmacy or medical benefits and is limited to individuals who meet eligibility criteria. The provider network is limited to providers with active contracts with the Wyoming Department of Health, Behavioral Health Division for related behavioral health services.

(iv) "BHC-Screen Benefit Plan" means the Behavioral Health Center (BHC) Screen benefit plan, which is a non-Medicaid benefit plan and does not cover pharmacy or medical benefits and is used to determine whether an individual qualifies for the BHC-Full benefit plan. The provider network is limited to providers with active contracts with the Wyoming Department of Health, Behavioral Health Division for related behavioral health services.

(v) "Behavioral health services" means mental health or substance use disorder treatment services and supports provided to persons with mental illness or substance use disorders.

(vi) "Bio-psychosocial and spiritual needs" means the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual needs of a client, which play a significant role in a behavioral health disorder and contribute to the client's functioning.

(vii) "Certification" means a process to formally recognize that a provider has met the requirements of these Rules to provide substance use disorder treatment services to court ordered individuals or behavioral health services purchased by the Department.

(viii) "Co-occurring" means the coexistence of both a mental illness and a substance use disorder.

(ix) "Corrective action" means a necessary change in provider policy or practice that is a result of a complaint, an investigation process, site visit findings, or noncompliance with a contract provision, a resolution plan, or these Rules.

(x) "Department" means the Wyoming Department of Health, Behavioral Health Division.

(xi) "Emergency services" means direct contact with a person in a mental health crisis as an intervention to prevent escalation of the crisis and to triage the person into needed services.

(xii) "Engagement services" means face-to-face staff contact, which may include delivery through telehealth, with an individual who is waiting to be admitted into treatment for the purpose of maintaining the individual's motivation and to help prepare them for treatment.

(xiii) "Evidence-based practice" means a behavioral health intervention that:

(xiv) "Executive director" means the individual responsible for the overall management of a provider. The term encompasses other titles including, but not limited to, chief executive officer, sole proprietor, president, or program administrator.

(xv) "Governing board" means the board of directors of a private nonprofit corporation, a community board as defined in W.S. § 35-1-613(a)(i), or a public agency as defined in W.S. § 35-1-613(a)(vi).

(xvi) "Intensive outpatient program" or "IOP" means structured substance use disorder and mental health treatment programming consisting primarily of counseling and education. IOP is more intensive than outpatient counseling, less intensive than residential care and can function as a step-down from residential care.

(xvii) "Intervention services" means skilled treatment services indicated by client need, which include, individual and group counseling, family counseling, educational groups, skills training, occupational and recreational therapy, medication assisted treatment, and psychotherapy.

(xviii) "Medication assisted treatment" or "MAT" means the use of medications, excluding those used for detoxification, which are used in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies to support recovery and provide a whole-person approach to the treatment of substance use disorders. Medications utilized in MAT approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA).

(xix) "Multi-county consortium" means a formal agreement between two or more providers in different counties to share funding, administrative support, clinical staff, or other resources to ensure a continuum of service availability and increase cost effectiveness.

(xx) "National accreditation" means accreditation issued by The Joint Commission (TJC), the Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF), or National Integrated Accreditation for Healthcare Organizations (NIAHO).

(xxi) "Ombudsman program" means a program which advocates for the rights of individuals by investigating and resolving problems and grievances, providing information, and working with institutions, organizations, and agencies to increase the effective provision of services to the people they serve.

(xxii) "Promising practice" means an administrative or clinical practice that has some scientific research or data showing positive outcomes but does not have enough evidence to support generalizable conclusions.

(xxiii) "Provider" means a provider of behavioral health services funded by the Department or a provider of substance use disorder services to persons referred or ordered to receive services by a court.

(xxiv) "Qualified clinical staff" means persons who are licensed or certified in Wyoming to practice:

(xxv) "Recovery supports" means non-clinical provider-sponsored activities and services which advance a sense of hope, complement and support treatment, increase and sustain treatment engagement, improve outcomes, and enhance recovery. Generally, recovery supports are developed and conducted by persons who are in recovery. Recovery supports do not include 12-Step meetings.

(xxvi) "Residential treatment services" means services provided in a freestanding or hospital-based facility, which provides room and board, and which operates twenty-four (24) hours per day, seven (7) days per week. A residential treatment facility provides evaluation, a planned regimen of treatment services including the staff-monitored administration of prescribed medication, and other supports as indicated by the client's treatment plan.

(xxvii) "Resolution plan" means a written plan to implement corrective actions identified by the Department to achieve measurable improvements in efficiency, effectiveness, performance, accountability, outcomes, or other indicators.

(xxviii) "SAMHSA" means the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration within the United States Department of Health and Human Services.

(xxix) "Service area" means a single county, multiple counties, or a region, designated by the Department to serve as the geographic area in which contracted services are to be provided.

(xxx) "Variance" means a permanent change to a required standard in Chapter 2 or 5. A variance may be requested at any time.

(xxxi) "Waiver" means a temporary change to a required standard in Chapter 2 or 5. A waiver may be requested at any time.