Efforts to simplify state mental health services advance

Mar. 4—MANKATO — A House committee unanimously approved Wednesday a longstanding attempt to simplify and align how Minnesota administers mental health treatment.

The so-called uniform service standards bill, at 257 pages, would cut down on provider and patient paperwork, update mental health treatment language that's been around in some cases since the 1950s and '60s, and align definitions and standards within the state's mental health care system.

"A lot of this was old, antiquated language or unclear language," Democratic Rep. Peter Fischer of Maplewood said.

Fischer, the chair of the House Behavioral Health Policy Division, is sponsoring the bill in the House while Republican Sen. Karin Housley of St. Marys Point champions the bill in the Senate.

These changes have been in the works since 2017 as state officials have worked with mental health experts, advocates and professionals to align policies across the board.

For example, the term "mental health professionals" isn't even defined in the same way throughout state law — there are 47 definitions throughout various policies, regulations or variances, some of which carry omissions or errors, according to state officials.

The new legislation aims to simplify Minnesota's mental health licensing process, align certain treatment standards for children and adults, and align standards for training and even patient information gathering.

Proponents of the bill hope simplifying Minnesota's mental health system and requiring less paperwork for certain treatments will lead to better outcomes for patients and their families. Advocates say patients often face difficulties in filing the necessary paperwork for mental health treatment and the state's system can be confusing to navigate.

"I'm really glad this bill is going to be cleaning up language," Rep. Keith Franke, R-St. Paul Park, said.

Rep. Luke Frederick, DFL-Mankato, said last month he was encouraged by the bill's efforts. Frederick was unavailable for comment Wednesday.

While the bill has bipartisan support, not everyone is thrilled with how it came before lawmakers. Republican Rep. Jeff Backer of Browns Valley noted an overview of the bill came before lawmakers a few weeks ago, but the bill's actual text only appeared in committee last week. Backer said lawmakers should've given more time and public hearings.

"I'm concerned about the transparency," he said. "These things that we're making are big changes. They may have big impact even though they're little word changes."