§ 1250.10. — 1250.10. (Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 241, Sec. 17.)

(a)
(1)
“Psychiatric residential treatment facility” means a health facility licensed by the State Department of Health Care Services, that is operated by a public agency or private nonprofit organization that provides inpatient psychiatric services, as described in Subpart D (commencing with Section 441.150) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, to individuals under 21 years of age, in a nonhospital setting.
(2)
Psychiatric residential treatment facilities shall obtain and maintain certification to provide Medi-Cal inpatient psychiatric services for individuals under 21 years of age in compliance with the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services
requirements.
(3)
Psychiatric residential treatment facilities shall comply with applicable utilization control requirements in Part 456 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, including, but not limited to, Subpart D for Mental Hospitals. Psychiatric residential treatment facilities shall comply with utilization reviews, including, but not limited to, provisions specific to certification and recertification of need for inpatient care at least every 60 days, length of stay, continued stay, and length of stay modifications in order to ensure that patients are transitioned back to the community.
(4)
The department shall set a statewide bed limit based on an analysis to ensure that inpatient psychiatric services for individuals under 21 years of age are available and sufficient
in amount, duration, and scope to reasonably achieve the purpose for which services are provided. The statewide bed limit shall comply with state and federal Medicaid requirements. The department shall notify the Legislature when the total number of beds in licensed psychiatric residential treatment facilities in the state reaches 250 beds, 500 beds, and 750 beds.
(b)
Notwithstanding any other law, and to the extent consistent with federal law, a psychiatric residential treatment facility shall be eligible to participate in the Medicare program under Title XVIII of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1395 et seq.), and the Medicaid program under Title XIX of the federal Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396 et seq.), if all of the following conditions are met:
(1)
The facility is licensed as a psychiatric residential treatment facility by the State Department of Health Care Services to provide inpatient psychiatric services to Medicaid-eligible individuals under 21 years of age.
(2)
The facility is in compliance with all applicable state and federal Medicaid statutes, regulations, and guidance, including, but not limited to, inpatient initial and continued stay authorization criteria, individual plan of care requirements, documentation, and treatment plan review.
(3)
The facility meets the definition of a psychiatric residential treatment facility pursuant to Section 483.352 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(4)
The facility provides inpatient
psychiatric services to Medicaid-eligible individuals under 21 years of age in accordance with the requirements and standards developed by the State Department of Health Care Services pursuant to the authority in Section 1905(a)(16) and (h) (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396d(a)(16) and (h)), Section 1902(a)(9)(A) (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396a(a)(9)(A)), which
authorizes the State Department of Health Care Services to establish and maintain health standards for institutions in which Medicaid beneficiaries may receive services, and Section 1902(a)(33)(B) (42 U.S.C. Sec. 1396a (a)(33)(B)) of the federal Social Security Act and the Medicaid State Plan.
(5)
The facility has a provider agreement with the State Department of Health Care Services or a mental health plan to provide the inpatient psychiatric services benefit to Medicaid-eligible individuals 21 years of age.
(6)
The facility obtains a certification for participation in the federal
Medicaid program and maintains compliance with the conditions of participation for psychiatric residential treatment facilities pursuant to Subpart D of Part 441 and Subpart G of Part 483 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations.
(7)
For purposes of the requirements specified in Subpart G of Part 483 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations, facility staff shall have training on engaging in trauma-informed prevention and de-escalation interventions with the goal of reducing seclusion and restraint.
(8)
The facility maintains accreditation from one of the following organizations identified in Section 441.151 of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations:
(A)
Joint Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations.
(B)
The Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities.
(C)
The Council on Accreditation of Services for Families and Children.
(D)
Any other accrediting organization with comparable standards recognized by the State Department of Health Care Services.
(9)
The facility has guidelines for operation that include, at a minimum, each of the following:
(A)
Requirements that all services and programs align to the trauma-informed care standards.
(B)
Length of stay to be determined by medical necessity for the duration of
time needed to stabilize, treat, and transition the patient to a less restrictive setting consistent with the patient individual plan of care.
(C)
Requirements that patients are connected to a continuum of care and services to promote healing and step down to community-based care in facility plans of operation, along with the identification of strategies, treatment, services, and supports that the facility will employ to connect the youth and their families to community-based services and to step down the youth to family-based care.
(D)
The implementation of an individual plan of care that is all of the following:
(i)
Developed and implemented no later than 72 hours after admission.
(ii)
Designed to achieve the patient’s discharge from inpatient status, step-down service, at the earliest possible time or as a diversion to admittance to a psychiatric hospital.
(iii)
The individual plan of care shall be based on a diagnostic evaluation that is developed by a treatment team in consultation with the patient and their parents, legal guardians, or others into whose care they will be released after discharge, and include discharge plans and after-care resources such as community services to ensure continuity of care with the patient’s family, school, and community upon discharge.
(c)
The facility shall annually, by July 1 of each year, provide the State Department of Health Care Services with all of the following
data:
(1)
Total number of patients admitted, including the number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries and the number of patients under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
(2)
Age, race or ethnicity, and gender of patients served, and, if available, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression of patients.
(3)
Duration of stay of each patient and the average and median lengths of stay for patients under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and separately for those not subject to juvenile court jurisdiction.
(4)
For each patient, the type of placement the patient was in prior to admission, if any, the services and interventions provided to the
patient prior to address the patient’s crisis needs, if any, and the number of prior hospitalizations, if any.
(5)
Professional classification of staff and contracted staff.
(6)
For each patient, the type of placement the client was discharged to.
(7)
The types of community-based services provided to patients during their stay to facilitate their transition back into the community, if any, including a breakdown of services provided to patients under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and separately for those not subject to juvenile court jurisdiction.
(8)
Postdischarge plans and after care resources, including the type and intensity of mental health services,
provided upon discharge.
(9)
The number of patients subjected to restraint, the number of times each patient was subjected to restraint, and the types and duration of restraint.
(10)
The facility’s policies regarding patient rules of conduct, behavioral incentives and discipline, and procedures for notifying patients of their rights.
(11)
A copy of the patient’s rights and facility complaint procedures provided to each patient upon admission.
(d)
The State Department of Health Care Services and the State Department of Social Services shall, by January 1 of each year, provide to the Senate and Assembly Committees on Health, Human Services, and Judiciary
with a report summarizing the information provided under subdivision (c) including, at a minimum:
(1)
For each facility, all of the following:
(A)
The total number of patients admitted, including the number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries and the number of patients under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
(B)
The age, race or ethnicity, and gender of patients served, and, if available, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression of patients served.
(C)
The average and median lengths of stay at the facility.
(D)
Professional classifications of staff and contracted staff.
(E)
The types of placements patients were discharged to.
(F)
The types of community-based services provided to patients during their stay to facilitate their transition back into the community, if any, including a breakdown of services provided to patients under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and separately for those not subject to juvenile court jurisdiction.
(G)
The number of patients subjected to restraint, the number of times each patient was subjected to restraint, and the types and duration of restraint.
(H)
The number of patients who had previously been admitted to the same or a different psychiatric residential facility.
(2)
On a statewide basis, all of the following:
(A)
(i)
The total number of patients admitted to psychiatric residential facilities, including the number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries and the number of patients under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court.
(ii)
The total number of patients admitted to psychiatric residential facilities, including the number of Medi-Cal beneficiaries and the number of patients under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, from each county. For purposes of this clause, “from each county” refers to the county where the patient resided prior to admission to the facility.
(B)
(i)
The age, race
or ethnicity, and gender of patients served, and, if available, the gender expression of patients served.
(ii)
The age, race or ethnicity, and gender of patients served, and, if available, sexual orientation and gender identity or expression of patients served from each county. For purposes of this clause, “from each county” refers to the county where the patient resided prior to admission to the facility.
(C)
The average and median lengths of stay.
(D)
The types of placements patients were discharged to.
(E)
The number of patients subjected to restraint, the number of times each patient was subjected to restraint, and the types and duration of restraint.
(F)
The number of patients who had previously been admitted to the same or a different psychiatric residential treatment facility.
(G)
(i)
The number of intensive services foster care homes, enhanced intensive services foster care homes, other family-based treatment settings, and other less-restrictive placement settings available by county.
(ii)
For the purposes of this data collection, “family-based treatment setting” means a licensed home-like setting to serve a child’s, minor’s, or youth’s behavioral health needs. These family-based treatment settings may utilize a range of applicable license types, so long as they provide enhanced care and supervision in a home-like setting, meet all requirements
pursuant to their respective license type, and provide an integrated behavioral health treatment as an alternative to, or stepdown from, psychiatric residential facilities and short-term residential therapeutic programs.
(e)
(1)
The State Department of Health Care Services shall, in consultation with the State Department of Social Services, the County Behavioral Health Directors Association of California, provider representatives, children’s rights advocates, disability rights advocates, and other relevant stakeholders, establish regulations for psychiatric residential treatment facilities. At a minimum, the regulations shall include all of the following:
(A)
Therapeutic programming shall be provided seven days per week, including weekends and holidays,
with sufficient mental health professional and paraprofessional staff to maintain an appropriate treatment setting and services, based on individual client’s needs.
(B)
The established number of beds in the facility shall be consistent with the individual treatment needs of the clients served at the facility and shall meet the requirements developed pursuant to subdivision (u) of Section 4081 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. At least 50 percent of the beds shall be in single-occupancy rooms.
(C)
(i)
The length of stay shall be consistent with the individual plan of care developed by the interdisciplinary team.
(ii)
In the case of non-Medi-Cal beneficiaries, reauthorizations for admission
shall be obtained using the process established by the entity providing coverage.
(D)
The length of stay shall be consistent with the individual plan of care developed by the interdisciplinary team. If a determination is made by a health care professional that a psychiatric residential treatment facility is medically necessary and is the appropriate level of care, reauthorization for admission shall be obtained using the process established by the entity providing coverage.
(E)
For voluntary admission of any minor patient subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, the facility shall obtain court authorization for the admission pursuant to Section 361.23 or 727.13, as applicable, and Section 6552 of the Welfare and Institutions Code. Whenever consent for admission of a
patient who is subject to the jurisdiction of the juvenile court is revoked, the facility shall immediately contact the county child welfare agency or probation department, as applicable, to arrange for the patient’s discharge.
(F)
Facilities shall include ample physical space for accommodating individuals who provide daily emotional and physical support to each client and for integrating family members into the day-to-day care of the youth. The facility shall provide patients with at least one hour per day of outdoor exercise or other time spent outside, weather permitting.
(G)
The facility shall collaborate with each client’s existing mental health team, if applicable, child and family team, as defined by paragraph (4) of subdivision (a) of Section 16501 of the Welfare and
Institutions Code, if the patient is an Indian child, as defined in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 224.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, who is under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, the child’s tribe, if applicable, and other support persons or providers identified by the child or parents within three business days of intake and throughout the course of care and treatment, as appropriate.
(H)
The facility shall provide information, upon request, to the county child welfare agency or county probation department to assist the county with its implementation of the patient’s aftercare plan for transitioning each admitted child from the program.
(I)
The patient’s rights provisions contained in Sections 5325, 5325.1, 5325.2, and 5326 of the Welfare and Institutions Code shall
be available to any patient admitted to, or eligible for admission to, the facility. Every patient shall have a right to a hearing by writ of habeas corpus, within two judicial days of the filing of a petition for the writ of habeas corpus with the superior court of the county in which the facility is located, for their release. Regulations adopted pursuant to this section shall specify the procedures by which this right shall be ensured. These regulations shall generally be consistent with the procedures contained in Article 5 (commencing with Section 5275) of Chapter 2 of Part 1 of Division 5 of the Welfare and Institutions Code concerning habeas corpus for individuals, including children, subject to various involuntary holds.
(J)
The facility shall establish and implement an individual plan of care within 72 hours of the patient’s
admission that is designed to achieve the patient’s discharge from inpatient status, step-down service, at the earliest possible time. The individual plan of care shall be based on a diagnostic evaluation that is developed by a treatment team in consultation with the patient and their parents, legal guardians, or others in whose care they will be released after discharge and include discharge plans and after-care resources such as community services to ensure continuity of care with the patient’s family, school, and community upon discharge. The plan of care shall be updated at least every 10 days, or more frequently if warranted by the patient’s change in acuity. For patients who are under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court, the patient’s social worker or probation officer and, for Indian children, as defined by subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 224.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code,
the child’s tribe shall be included in the consultation by the treatment team.
(K)
Guidelines for the use of physical restraints and seclusion providing protections and safeguards in addition to the requirements in Subpart G (commencing with Section 483.350) of Title 42 of the Code of Federal Regulations. If a patient under the jurisdiction of the juvenile court under Section 300 or 602 of the Welfare and Institutions Code has been restrained or secluded, the facility shall notify the patient’s counsel, social worker, or probation officer, as applicable, the patient’s tribe if the patient is an Indian child, as defined in subdivisions (a) and (b) of Section 224.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, and, except in cases in which parental rights or a legal guardianship has been terminated, the patient’s parent, legal guardian, or Indian
custodian.
(2)
Notwithstanding Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code, the State Department of Health Care Services may implement, interpret, or make specific the provisions applicable to psychiatric residential treatment facilities in this chapter, Division 1.5 (commencing with Section 1180) of this code, and Chapter 1 (commencing with Section 11000) of Part 3 of Division 9 of the Welfare and Institutions Code, in whole or in part, by means of plan or county letters, information notices, plan or provider bulletins, or other similar instructions, until regulations are adopted no later than December 31, 2027.
(f)
On or before June 1, 2027, the secretary or their designee, in consultation with the State Department of
Social Services, shall report to the Legislature on the use of psychiatric residential treatment facilities in the state. The report shall include evaluation metrics assessing the efficacy of facilities in treating the mental health of individuals under 21 years of age, including analyses of individuals under 21 years of age within and without the jurisdiction of the juvenile court and by age, race or ethnicity, and sexual orientation and gender identity, and shall be submitted in compliance with Section 9795 of the Government Code.
(g)
Information released or published pursuant to this section shall not contain data that may lead to the identification of patients receiving services in a psychiatric residential treatment facility or information that would otherwise allow an individual to link the published information to a specific person.
Data published by the department shall be deidentified in compliance with Section 164.514(a) and (b) of Title 45 of the Code of Federal Regulations.

Legislative History

Amended by Stats. 2025, Ch. 241, Sec. 17. (SB 857) Effective January 1, 2026.