Voluntary Admission

Not everyone experiencing a psychiatric crisis needs to be on an involuntary commitment order. An involuntary commitment order may be prevented if an individual voluntarily enters treatment. Click below to learn how Senate Bill 630: Revise IVC Laws changes to voluntary admissions.Allows facilities to disclose the time and location of admission and discharge to the patient’s next of kin. In addition, if a patient is transferred to another facility and is a minor, an adult with a guardian, or deemed incapable, the facility must inform the legally responsible person within 24 hours of the transfer.

SB 630: Revise IVC Laws to Improve Behavioral Health (SL 2018-33) Section 3. § 122C-53. Exceptions; clientsClarifies legal counsel’s right to access medical records and limits the scope of medical records released to legal counsel without a court order.

SB 630: Revise IVC Laws to Improve Behavioral Health (SL 2018-33) Section 4. § 122C-54. Exceptions; abuse reports and court proceedings.Allows for sharing confidential information between facilities and sheriff if the patient is receiving treatment for a mental illness, substance use, or intellectual and developmental disability from a jail or facility.

SB 630: Revise IVC Laws to Improve Behavioral Health (SL 2018-33) Section 5. § 122C-55. Exceptions; care and treatment.If a patient receiving treatment at a facility is transferred to an acute care hospital solely for medical purposes, the treatment facility must hold the bed for the patient for a minimum of 12 hours.

SB 630: Revise IVC Laws to Improve Behavioral Health (SL 2018-33) Section 9. § 122C-206. Transfers of clients between 24-hour facilities; transfer of clients from 24-hour facilities to acute care hospitals.Creates a new section to outline the voluntary admission and discharge of adults who have been deemed incapable to make treatment decisions and have a psychiatric advance directive or healthcare power of attorney.

SB 630: Revise IVC Laws to Improve Behavioral Health (SL 2018-33) Section 14. § 122C-213. Voluntary admission of individuals determined to be incapable. § 122C-214. Discharge of individuals determined to be incapable. Next: Click here to see changes to the involuntary commitment process