For California specifically, the laws that have passed affect numerous areas from sober living homes, to outpatient programs and more. Let’s breakdown California Bill AB-919 and the major parts of the bill that you need to know.
Patient Brokering
The first part of the bill takes aim at the payment or receipt of payment for the referral of a patient to a specific treatment program. The act of patient brokering has become one of the leading issues representatives and advocates alike have worked to put an end too.
“When you pay people to go to your program you are removing the power of choice that consumers are promised in the US.,” says one recovery advocate.
As of January 1, 2020, California Bill AB-919 became effective, and part of the bill created an oversight department where programs can be held accountable for their actions. With active investigations on-going around the country, we can expect more and more programs to turn to digital marketing and SEO as an ethical solution to acquiring new clients.
Separating Labs, Treatment & Sober Living
The next part of the bills focuses on a few key areas within the treatment industry: outpatient & sober living, labs, and transportation.
In reference to outpatient programs, the state is now requiring DHCS licensing, where it was not previously required for an outpatient program to be licensed by the state. The second item relating to sober living homes has to do with separating housing costs from outpatient costs and laboratory fees.
(a) A laboratory or certified outpatient treatment program that leases, manages, or owns housing units that are offered to individuals who concurrently utilize laboratory or outpatient services shall maintain separate contracts for the housing. The contract shall clearly state that payment for housing is the responsibility of the individual and does not depend on insurance benefits. The contract shall include a repayment plan for any subsidized rent, and the laboratory or certified outpatient treatment program shall make a good faith effort to collect the debt. The offer for housing shall not depend on the individual’s agreement to receive services from either the laboratory or the certified outpatient treatment program.
When a client enters an outpatient program that offers housing, the cost of housing must be clearly defined and written out, with neither service being contingent on the other. This includes using laboratory services, where a program or housing program must make every attempt to collect the debt of the client for those services.
In this same area, the text covers transportation costs and assisting clients in traveling to the program, depending on their mileage. If a person seeking recovery is within 125 miles, a program can cover the cost of ground transportation to their facility. If a potential client is in need of air transportation, the program can cover the cost of airfare as long as a return ticket is included. The client then has up to one year from discharge to request the unused return flight.