Section 225C.6C. Regional service system — regulatory requirements.

  1.  The departments of inspections and appeals, human services, and public health shall comply with the requirements of this section in their efforts to improve the regulatory requirements applied to the mental health and disability regional service system administration and service providers.

  2.  The three departments shall work together to establish a process to streamline accreditation, certification, and licensing standards applied to the regional service system administration and service providers.

  3.  The departments of human services and inspections and appeals shall jointly review the standards and inspection process applicable to residential care facilities.

  4.  The three departments shall do all of the following in developing regulatory requirements applicable to the regional service system administration and service providers:

  a.  Consider the costs to administrators and providers in the development of quality monitoring efforts.

  b.  Implement the use of uniform, streamlined, and statewide cost reporting standards and tools by the regional service system and the department of human services.

  c.  Make quality monitoring information, including services, quality, and location information, easily available and understandable to all citizens.

  d.  Establish standards that are clearly understood and are accompanied by interpretive guidelines to support understanding by those responsible for applying the standards.

  e.  Develop a partnership with providers in order to improve the quality of services and develop mechanisms for the provision of technical assistance.

  f.  Develop consistent data collection efforts based on statewide standards and make information available to all providers. The efforts under this paragraph shall be made with representatives of the Iowa state association of counties.

  g.  Evaluate existing provider qualification and monitoring efforts to identify duplication and gaps, and align the efforts with valued outcomes.

  h.  Streamline and enhance existing standards.

  i.  Consider allowing providers to seek accreditation from a national accrediting body in lieu of state accreditation or certification.

2012 Acts, ch 1120, §28