225C.4  Administrator’s duties.
  1.  To the extent funding is available, the administrator shall perform the following duties:
  a.  Prepare and administer the comprehensive mental health and disability services plan as provided in section 225C.6B, including state mental health and intellectual disability plans for the provision of disability services within the state and the state developmental disabilities plan. The administrator shall take into account any related planning activities implemented by the Iowa department of public health, the state board of regents or a body designated by the board for that purpose, the department of management or a body designated by the director of the department for that purpose, the department of education, the department of workforce development and any other appropriate governmental body, in order to facilitate coordination of disability services provided in this state. The state mental health and intellectual disability plans shall be consistent with the state health plan, and shall take into account mental health and disability services regional service system management plans.
  b.  Assist mental health and disability services region governing boards and regional administrators in planning for community-based disability services.
  c.  Assist the state board in planning for community-based children’s behavioral health services.
  d.  Emphasize the provision of evidence-based outpatient and community support services by community mental health centers and local intellectual disability providers as a preferable alternative to acute inpatient services and services provided in large institutional settings.
  e.  Encourage and facilitate coordination of mental health and disability services with the objective of developing and maintaining in the state a mental health and disability service delivery system to provide services to all persons in this state who need the services, regardless of the place of residence or economic circumstances of those persons. The administrator shall work with the commission and other state agencies, including but not limited to the departments of corrections, education, and public health and the state board of regents, to develop and implement a strategic plan to expand access to qualified mental health workers across the state.
  f.  Encourage and facilitate applied research and preventive educational activities related to causes and appropriate treatment for disabilities. The administrator may designate, or enter into agreements with, private or public agencies to carry out this function.
  g.  Coordinate community-based services with those of the state mental health institutes and state resource centers.
  h.  Administer state programs regarding the care, treatment, and supervision of persons with mental illness or an intellectual disability, except the programs administered by the state board of regents.
  i.  Administer and distribute state appropriations in connection with the mental health and disability services regional service fund established by section 225C.7A.
  j.  Act as compact administrator with power to effectuate the purposes of interstate compacts on mental health.
  k.  Establish and maintain a data collection and management information system oriented to the needs of patients, providers, the department, and other programs or facilities in accordance with section 225C.6A. The system shall be used to identify, collect, and analyze service outcome and performance measures data in order to assess the effects of the services on the persons utilizing the services. The administrator shall annually submit to the commission information collected by the department indicating the changes and trends in the mental health and disability services system. The administrator shall make the outcome data available to the public.
  l.  Encourage and facilitate coordination of children’s behavioral health services with the objective of developing and maintaining in the state a children’s behavioral health system to provide behavioral health services to all children in this state who need the services, regardless of the place of residence or economic circumstances of those children. The administrator shall work with the state board and other state agencies including but not limited to the department of education and the department of public health to develop and implement a strategic plan to expand access to qualified mental health workers across the state.
  m.  Establish and maintain a data collection and management information system oriented to the needs of children utilizing the children’s behavioral health system, providers, the department, and other programs or facilities in accordance with section 225C.6A. The system shall be used to identify, collect, and analyze service outcome and performance measures data in order to assess the effects of the services on the children utilizing the services. The administrator shall annually submit to the state board information collected by the department indicating the changes and trends in the children’s behavioral health system. The administrator shall make the outcome data available to the public.
  n.  Prepare a division budget and reports of the division’s activities.
  o.  Establish suitable agreements with other state agencies to encourage appropriate care and to facilitate the coordination of disability services.
  p.  Provide consultation and technical assistance to patients’ advocates appointed pursuant to section 229.19, in cooperation with the judicial branch and the certified volunteer long-term care ombudsmen certified pursuant to section 231.45.
  q.  Provide technical assistance to agencies and organizations, to aid them in meeting standards which are established, or with which compliance is required, under statutes administered by the administrator, including but not limited to chapters 227 and 230A.
  r.  Recommend to the commission minimum accreditation standards for the maintenance and operation of community mental health centers, services, and programs under section 230A.110. The administrator’s review and evaluation of the centers, services, and programs for compliance with the adopted standards shall be as provided in section 230A.111.
  s.  Recommend to the commission minimum standards for supported community living services. The administrator shall review and evaluate the services for compliance with the adopted standards.
  t.  In cooperation with the department of inspections and appeals, recommend minimum standards under section 227.4 for the care of and services to persons with mental illness or an intellectual disability residing in county care facilities. The administrator shall also cooperate with the department of inspections and appeals in recommending minimum standards for care of and services provided to persons with mental illness or an intellectual disability living in a residential care facility regulated under chapter 135C.
  u.  In cooperation with the Iowa department of public health, recommend minimum standards for the maintenance and operation of public or private facilities offering disability services, which are not subject to licensure by the department or the department of inspections and appeals.
  v.  Provide technical assistance concerning disability services and funding to mental health and disability services region governing boards and regional administrators.
  w.  Coordinate with the mental health planning and advisory council created pursuant to 42 U.S.C. §300x-3 to ensure the council membership includes representation by a military veteran who is knowledgeable concerning the behavioral and mental health issues of veterans.
  x.  Enter into performance-based contracts with regional administrators as described in section 331.390. A performance-based contract shall require a regional administrator to fulfill the statutory and regulatory requirements of the regional service system under this chapter and chapter 331. A failure to fulfill the requirements may be addressed by remedies specified in the contract, including but not limited to suspension of contract payments or cancellation of the contract. The contract provisions may include but are not limited to requirements for the regional service system to attain outcomes within a specified range of acceptable performance in any of the following categories:
  (1)  Access standards for the required core services.
  (2)  Penetration rates for serving the number of persons expected to be served.
  (3)  Utilization rates for inpatient and residential treatment.
  (4)  Readmission rates for inpatient and residential treatment.
  (5)  Employment of the persons receiving services.
  (6)  Administrative costs.
  (7)  Data reporting.
  (8)  Timely and accurate claims processing.
  (9)  School attendance.
  y.  Provide information through the internet concerning waiting lists for services implemented by mental health and disability services regions.
  2.  The administrator may:
  a.  Apply for, receive, and administer federal aids, grants, and gifts for purposes relating to disability services or programs.
  b.  Establish and supervise suitable standards of care, treatment, and supervision for persons with disabilities in all institutions under the control of the director of human services.
  c.  Appoint professional consultants to furnish advice on any matters pertaining to disability services. The consultants shall be paid as provided by an appropriation of the general assembly.
  d.  Administer a public housing unit within a bureau of the division to apply for, receive, and administer federal assistance, grants, and other public or private funds for purposes related to providing housing in accordance with section 225C.45.
[C50, 54, 58, 62, 66, §218.76; C71, 73, 75, 77, 79, 81, §217.11, 217.12; S81, §225C.3; 81 Acts, ch 78, §4, 20]
83 Acts, ch 96, §157, 159; 85 Acts, ch 122, §1; 90 Acts, ch 1204, §45; 92 Acts, ch 1128, §1; 94 Acts, ch 1170, §13; 95 Acts, ch 82, §2, 13; 95 Acts, ch 206, §7, 12; 96 Acts, ch 1186, §23; 98 Acts, ch 1047, §20; 99 Acts, ch 129, §9; 99 Acts, ch 160, §2, 3; 2000 Acts, ch 1112, §33, 51; 2006 Acts, ch 1115, §4, 5; 2010 Acts, ch 1031, §374; 2010 Acts, ch 1106, §1; 2012 Acts, ch 1019, §63; 2012 Acts, ch 1120, §2, 3, 20, 21; 2013 Acts, ch 18, §15; 2013 Acts, ch 90, §48; 2013 Acts, ch 140, §187, 189; 2019 Acts, ch 61, §3 – 6; 2021 Acts, ch 177, §82, 108
Referred to in §217.10, 225C.6B, 331.390