12VAC30-122-350. Crisis support service.
A. Service description. Crisis support service is designed for individuals experiencing circumstances such as (i) marked reduction in psychiatric, adaptive, or behavioral functioning; (ii) an increase in emotional distress; (iii) needing continuous intervention to maintain stability; or (iv) causing harm to themselves or others. Crisis support service means intensive supports by trained and, where applicable, licensed staff in crisis prevention, crisis intervention, and crisis stabilization for an individual who is experiencing an episodic behavioral or psychiatric event in the community that has the potential to jeopardize the current community living situation. This service is designed to prevent the individual from experiencing an episodic crisis that has the potential to jeopardize his current community living situation, to intervene in such a crisis, or to stabilize the individual after the crisis. This service shall prevent escalation of a crisis, maintain safety, stabilize the individual, and strengthen the current living situation so that the individual can be supported in the community beyond the crisis period. Crisis support service shall be covered in the FIS, CL, and BI waivers.
B. Criteria and allowable activities. Crisis support service may include as appropriate and necessary:
1. Crisis prevention services, which provide assessment of an individual's medical, cognitive, and behavioral status as well as predictors of self-injurious, disruptive, or destructive behaviors, with initiation of positive behavior supports to resolve and prevent future occurrence of crisis situations. Crisis prevention services shall also include training for family/caregivers to avert further crises and to maintain the individual's typical routine to the maximum extent possible. Crisis prevention services shall also encompass supporting the family and individual through team meetings, revising the behavior plan or guidelines, and other activities as changes to the behavior support plan are implemented and residual concerns from the crisis situation are addressed.
2. Crisis intervention services, which shall be used during a crisis to prevent further escalation of the situation and to maintain the immediate personal safety of those involved. Crisis intervention services shall be a short-term service providing highly structured intervention that can include, for example, temporary changes to the person's residence, changes to the person's daily routine, and emergency referral to other care providers. Crisis intervention staff shall model verbal deescalation techniques including active listening, reflective listening, validation, and suggestions for immediate changes to the situation.
3. Crisis stabilization, which entails gaining a full understanding of the factors that contributed to the crisis once the immediate threat has resolved and there is no longer an immediate threat to the health and safety of the individual or others. Crisis stabilization services shall be geared toward gaining a full understanding of all of the factors that precipitated the crisis and may have maintained it until trained staff from outside the immediate situation arrived. These services result in the development of new plans that may include environmental modifications, interventions to enhance communication skills, or changes to the individual's daily routine or structure. Crisis stabilization staff shall train family/caregivers and other persons significant to the individual in techniques and interventions to avert future crises.
C. Service units and limitations.
1. Crisis support service shall be authorized or reauthorized following a documented face-to-face assessment conducted by a QDDP or QMHP.
a. Crisis prevention. The unit of the service shall be one hour and billing may occur up to 24 hours per day if necessary. Crisis prevention may be authorized for up to 60 days per ISP year. Crisis prevention services include supports during the provision of any other waiver service and may be billed concurrently (i.e., same dates and times).
b. Crisis intervention. The unit of the service shall be one hour and billing may occur up to 24 hours per day if necessary. Crisis intervention may be authorized in increments of no more than 15 days at a time for up to 90 days per ISP year. Crisis intervention services include supports during the provision of any other waiver service and may be billed concurrently (i.e., same dates and times).
c. Crisis stabilization. The unit of the service shall be one hour and billing may occur up to 24 hours per day if necessary. Crisis stabilization may be authorized in increments of no more than 15 days at a time for up to 60 days per ISP year. Crisis stabilization services include supports during the provision of any other waiver service and may be billed concurrently (i.e., same dates and times).
2. The crisis support service shall only be available through a waiver when they are not available through the State Plan.
D. Provider qualifications and requirements.
1. Providers shall meet the requirements of 12VAC30-122-110 through 12VAC30-122-140.
2. Providers of crisis support service shall have current signed participation agreements with DMAS and shall directly provide the service and bill DMAS for Medicaid reimbursement. These providers shall renew their participation agreements as directed by DMAS.
3. Crisis support service shall be provided by entities licensed by DBHDS as providers of residential crisis stabilization service, or nonresidential crisis stabilization service. Providers shall employ or utilize QDDPs, licensed mental health professionals, or other qualified personnel credentialed to provide clinical or behavioral interventions. For the purposes of services delivery and billing, those individuals who do not have a license or degree are considered nonprofessionals. Those individuals who meet QDDP requirements or are licensed are considered professionals.
4. Providers shall ensure that DSP staff who are providing crisis support service meet provider training and competency requirements as specified in 12VAC30-1220-180.
E. Service documentation and requirements.
1. Providers shall include signed and dated documentation of the following in each individual's record:
a. The provider's plan for supports per requirements detailed in 12VAC30-122-120.
b. Supporting documentation that is developed (or revised, in the case of a request for an extension) and submitted to the support coordinator for authorization within 72 hours of the face-to-face assessment or reassessment.
c. Documentation indicating the dates and times of service, the amount and type of service provided, and specific information about the individual's responses to service in the supporting documentation.
d. Documentation of provider qualifications that is maintained for review by DMAS or DBHDS staff and provided upon request from either agency.
e. Documentation as detailed in 12VAC30-122-120. Data shall be collected as described in the plan for supports, analyzed to determine if the strategies are effective, summarized, then clearly documented in the progress notes or support checklist.
f. Documentation to support units of service delivered, and the documentation shall correspond with billing. Providers shall maintain separate documentation for each type of service rendered for an individual. Documentation shall include all correspondence and contacts related to the individual.
g. Documentation that is maintained for routine supervision and oversight of all service provided by direct support professional staff. All significant contacts shall be documented and dated.
2. Supervision of DSPs shall be provided consistent with the requirements in 12VAC30-122-120 by a supervisor meeting the requirements of 12VAC35-105-590. Providers shall make available for inspection documentation of supervision, and this documentation shall be completed and signed by the staff person designated to perform the supervision and oversight. This documentation shall include, at a minimum, the following: (i) date of contact or observation, (ii) person contacted or observed, (iii) a summary about the direct support professional's performance and service delivery, and (iv) any action planned or taken to correct problems identified during supervision and oversight.
3. Provider documentation shall support all claims submitted for DMAS reimbursement. Claims for payment that are not supported by supporting documentation shall be subject to recovery by DMAS or its designee as a result of utilization reviews or audits.
Statutory Authority
§ 32.1-325 of the Code of Virginia; 42 USC § 1396 et seq.
Historical Notes
Derived from Virginia Register Volume 37, Issue 14, eff. March 31, 2021.