Statewide SMHRF Admission Training Webinar on 11/15
MEMORANDUM
IHA has coordinated with the Illinois Dept. of Human Services (DHS), Dept. of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) and HFS’ contractor, Maximus, for a specialized hospital training webinar regarding the referral process for Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Facilities (SMHRFs). Below are:
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Links to the webinar and associated resources;
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Background on hospital referrals to SMHRFs; and
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A related update on DHS’ expansion of a hospital-based program diverting eligible patients from SMHRFs to community-based resources, which was supported by IHA coordination.
SMHRF Referral Educational Resources
Click here to register for the training webinar on Nov. 15 from 12 p.m. to 1 p.m. During the webinar, the Maximus team will discuss the intent of the program, exclusionary criteria and the referral process. For additional resources:
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The webinar announcement can be found here;
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For questions or comments on the process of hospital referrals to SMHRFs:
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Contact the Maximus Illinois Help Desk team from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. at ILSMHRF@maximus.com or (833) PASRR-IL (833-727-7745);
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For background on the SMHRF referral process for hospitals, see Maximus’ handout and presentation, which includes inclusionary and exclusionary criteria and diversion resources; and
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For questions or comments on the Pre-admission Screening and Resident Review (PASRR) process more generally, see the Illinois PASRR Tools and Resources webpage or the IHA Memo from February 2022 outlining process updates.
Background & Diversion Update
The 24 SMHRFs in Illinois are freestanding residential treatment facilities for individuals living with a mental health condition. Authorization is required for admission to a SMHRF, using the PASRR process on Maximus’ web-based management system that launched in 2022. The PASRR process supports compliance with the Williams Consent Decree in Illinois, which mandates that, “no individual with a serious mental illness (SMI) who is determined to be able to live in a community-based setting shall be admitted into a long-term care facility (LTC) before first being offered community-based services.”
Following the initiation of the PASRR process for SMHRF referral, DHS can determine patient eligibility for the Front Door Diversion Program (FDDP), which supports the State’s efforts of offering community-based services in lieu of a SMHRF placement. This year, IHA has coordinated with DHS to expand this program to four new hospitals in Cook and Peoria counties to support patient throughput and placement, in addition to the 46 current hospital participants. IHA will notify hospitals if additional opportunities are presented to expand FDDP.
For any additional questions or comments, please contact us here.