§ 245.488 — Outpatient Services
Plain-Language Summary
Counties must provide enough outpatient mental health services for children, including diagnosis, therapy, medication management, and crisis services. Initial appointments must be available within three weeks, with immediate access in emergencies.
245.488 OUTPATIENT SERVICES.
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Subdivision 1.Availability of outpatient services.
(a) County boards must provide or contract for enough outpatient services within the county to meet the needs of each child with mental illness residing in the county and the child’s family. Services may be provided directly by the county through county-operated mental health clinics meeting the standards of chapter 245I; by contract with privately operated mental health clinics meeting the standards of chapter 245I; by contract with hospital mental health outpatient programs certified by the Joint Commission on Accreditation of Hospital Organizations; or by contract with a mental health professional. A child or a child’s parent may be required to pay a fee based in accordance with section 245.481. Outpatient services include:
(1) conducting diagnostic assessments;
(2) conducting psychological testing;
(3) developing or modifying individual treatment plans;
(4) making referrals and recommending placements as appropriate;
(5) treating the child’s mental health needs through therapy; and
(6) prescribing and managing medication and evaluating the effectiveness of prescribed medication.
(b) County boards may request a waiver allowing outpatient services to be provided in a nearby trade area if it is determined that the child requires necessary and appropriate services that are only available outside the county.
(c) Outpatient services offered by the county board to prevent placement must be at the level of treatment appropriate to the child’s diagnostic assessment. §
Subd. 2.Specific requirements.
The county board shall require that a service provider of outpatient services to children:
(1) meets the professional qualifications contained in sections 245.487 to 245.4889;
(2) uses a multidisciplinary mental health professional staff including, at a minimum, arrangements for psychiatric consultation, licensed psychologist consultation, and other necessary multidisciplinary mental health professionals;
(3) develops individual treatment plans; and
(4) provides initial appointments within three weeks, except in emergencies where there must be immediate access as described in section 245.4879. §
Subd. 3.Mental health crisis services.
County boards must provide or contract for mental health crisis services within the county to meet the needs of children with mental illness residing in the county who are determined, through an assessment by a mental health professional, to be experiencing a mental health crisis or mental health emergency. The mental health crisis services provided must be medically necessary, as defined in section 62Q.53, subdivision 2, and necessary for the safety of the child or others regardless of the setting.
History:
1989 c 282 art 4 s 47; 1990 c 568 art 2 s 39; 1991 c 255 s 19; 1991 c 292 art 6 s 58 subd 1; 1993 c 339 s 4; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 9 s 16; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 11 s 11; 2007 c 147 art 8 s 38; 2009 c 79 art 7 s 4; 2021 c 30 art 17 s 43; 2025 c 38 art 8 s 32,33
History: History: 1989 c 282 art 4 s 47; 1990 c 568 art 2 s 39; 1991 c 255 s 19; 1991 c 292 art 6 s 58 subd 1; 1993 c 339 s 4; 1Sp2001 c 9 art 9 s 16; 2002 c 379 art 1 s 113; 1Sp2003 c 14 art 11 s 11; 2007 c 147 art 8 s 38; 2009 c 79 art 7 s 4; 2021 c 30 art 17 s 43; 2025 c 38 art 8 s 32,33