§ 1153.2. Definitions.
The following words and terms, when used in this chapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise:
Adult partial hospitalization program—A program licensed by the Department, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, to provide partial hospitalization services to individuals 15 years of age or older.
Advanced practice professional—A person who holds a current Pennsylvania license as a certified registered nurse practitioner or a physician assistant and:(1) Holds a mental health certification, or
(2) Obtains a mental health certification within 2 years of being hired by the psychiatric outpatient clinic or by July 30, 2020, whichever is later.
Children and youth partial hospitalization program—A program licensed by the Department, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, to provide partial hospitalization services to individuals under 15 years of age.
Clinical staff—A psychiatrist or a mental health professional or mental health worker under the direct supervision of a psychiatrist.
Collateral family psychotherapy—Psychotherapy provided to the family members of an individual receiving psychiatric outpatient clinic services in the absence of the individual.
Department—The Department of Human Services.
Facility—A mental health establishment, hospital, clinic, institution, center or other organizational unit or part thereof, the primary function of which is the diagnosis, treatment, care and rehabilitation of individuals with mental illness or emotional disturbance.
Family—A person living alone or the following persons: spouses; parents and their unemancipated minor children and other unemancipated minor children who are related by blood or marriage; or other adults or emancipated minor children living in the household who are dependent upon the head of the household.
Family psychotherapy—Psychotherapy provided to two or more members of a family. At least one family member shall have a diagnosed mental illness or emotional disturbance. Sessions shall be conducted by a clinical staff person.
Group psychotherapy—Psychotherapy provided to no less than 2 and no more than 12 persons with diagnosed mental illness or emotional disturbance. These sessions shall be conducted by a clinical staff person.
Individual psychotherapy—Psychotherapy provided to one person with a diagnosed mental illness or emotional disturbance. These sessions shall be conducted by a clinical staff person.
Inpatient services—Treatment provided to an individual who has been admitted to a treatment institution or an acute care hospital or psychiatric hospital on the recommendation of a physician and is receiving room, board and professional services in the facility on a continuous 24-hour-a-day basis.
Intake—The first contact with an individual for the initiation of or re-admission to outpatient behavioral health services covered by this chapter.
Interactive audio and video—Real-time two-way or multiple-way communication.
LPHA—Licensed Practitioner of the Healing Arts—A person who is licensed by the Commonwealth to practice the healing arts. This term is limited to a physician, physician’s assistant, certified registered nurse practitioner, licensed clinical social worker, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed professional counselor or psychologist.
MMHT—Mobile Mental Health Treatment—One or more of the following services provided in an individual’s residence or approved community site:(i) Assessment.
(ii) Individual, group or family therapy.
(iii) Medication visits.
Mental health professional—A person who meets one of the following:(i) Has a graduate degree from a college or university that is accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) in a generally recognized clinical discipline in which the degree program includes a clinical practicum.
(ii) Has an equivalent degree from a foreign college or university that has been evaluated by the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICE) or the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The Department will accept a general equivalency report from the listed evaluator agencies to verify a foreign degree or its equivalency.
(iii) Is licensed in a generally recognized clinical discipline that includes mental health clinical experience.
Mental health worker—A person acting under the supervision of a mental health professional to provide services who meets one of the following:(i) Has a bachelor’s degree from a college or university that is accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the CHEA in a recognized clinical discipline including social work, psychology, nursing, rehabilitation or activity therapies.
(ii) Has a graduate degree in a clinical discipline with 12 graduate-level credits in mental health or counseling from a program that is accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the CHEA.
(iii) Has an equivalent degree from a foreign college or university that has been evaluated by the AICE or the NACES. The Department will accept a general equivalency report from the listed evaluator agencies to verify a foreign degree or its equivalency.
Mental illness or emotional disturbance—A mental disorder that meets the diagnostic criteria within the current version of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders or the International Classification of Diseases (ICD).
Outpatient services—Medical or behavioral health services provided to an individual by a psychiatric outpatient clinic or partial hospitalization outpatient facility that does not provide room, board and professional services on a continuous 24-hour-a-day basis.
Psychiatric clinic clozapine monitoring and evaluation visit—A visit for the monitoring and evaluation of an individual’s physical and mental condition during the course of treatment with clozapine. The term includes only a visit provided to an eligible individual receiving clozapine therapy, and only by a psychiatrist, physician, certified registered nurse practitioner, registered nurse or physician assistant.
Psychiatric clinic medication visit—A visit only for administration of a drug and evaluation of an individual’s physical or mental condition during the course of prescribed medication. This visit is provided to an eligible individual only by a psychiatrist, physician, certified registered nurse practitioner, physician assistant, registered nurse or licensed practical nurse.
Psychiatric evaluation—An initial mental status examination and evaluation of an individual provided only by a psychiatrist in a face-to-face interview or through the use of interactive audio and video communication that conforms to industry-wide technology standards and is in compliance with State and Federal privacy and security laws. It must include a comprehensive history and evaluation of pertinent diagnostic information necessary to arrive at a diagnosis and recommendations for treatment or further diagnostic studies or consultation. The history must include individual, social, family, occupational, drug, medical and previous psychiatric diagnostic and treatment information.
Psychiatric outpatient clinic provider—A facility enrolled in the MA Program to provide psychiatric outpatient clinic services and licensed by the Department, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, to provide specific medical, psychiatric and psychological services for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness or emotional disturbance.
Psychiatric outpatient clinic services—Outpatient medical, psychiatric and psychological services listed in the MA Program Fee Schedule furnished to an individual with mental illness or emotional disturbance while the individual is not a resident of a treatment institution, provided by or under the direction of a psychiatrist.
Psychiatric outpatient partial hospitalization provider—A facility enrolled in the MA Program to provide partial hospitalization outpatient services and licensed by the Department, Office of Mental Health and Substance Abuse Services, to provide psychiatric, medical, psychological and psychosocial services as partial hospitalization for the diagnosis and treatment of mental illness or emotional disturbance.
Psychiatric partial hospitalization—An active outpatient psychiatric day or evening treatment session including medical, psychiatric, psychological and psychosocial treatment listed in the MA Program Fee Schedule. This service shall be provided to an individual with mental illness or emotional disturbance on a planned and regularly scheduled basis for a minimum of 3 hours but less than 24 hours in any 1 day. The session shall be provided by a psychiatrist or by psychiatric partial hospitalization personnel under the direction of a psychiatrist.
Psychologist in preparation for licensure—A person who has completed the educational requirements for licensure and is accruing the required postdegree experience for licensing.
Psychotherapy—The treatment, by psychological means, of the problems of an emotional nature in which a trained person deliberately establishes a professional relationship with an individual with the objective of removing, modifying or relieving existing symptoms of mediating disturbed patterns of behavior and of promoting positive personality growth and development.
Tele-behavioral health—(i) The use of interactive audio and video communication to provide clinical services at a distance using technology that conforms to the industry-wide standards and is in compliance with State and Federal privacy and security laws.
(ii) Tele-behavioral health does not include telephone conversation, electronic mail message or facsimile transmission between a psychiatrist or an advanced practice professional and an individual receiving services or a consultation between two health care practitioners, although these activities may support the delivery of tele-behavioral health.
Treatment institution—A facility approved or licensed by the Department or its agents that provides full-time psychiatric treatment services for resident individuals with mental illness or emotional disturbance, residential facilities for individuals with intellectual disabilities or community residential rehabilitation services are not considered to be mental health treatment institutions.
Under the direction of a psychiatrist—Receiving oversight and consultation by a psychiatrist in the medical, psychiatric and psychological services provided to individuals by psychiatric outpatient clinic or partial hospitalization personnel.
Authority The provisions of this § 1153.2 amended under section 201(2) of the Human Services Code (62 P.S. § 201(2)).
Source The provisions of this § 1153.2 adopted January 25, 1980, effective February 1, 1980, 10 Pa.B. 267; amended October 2, 1981, effective October 3, 1981, 11 Pa.B. 3387; amended November 13, 1981, effective November 15, 1981, 11 Pa.B. 4046; amended December 23, 1983, effective January 1, 1983, 13 Pa.B. 3932; amended September 30, 1988, effective October 1, 1988, 18 Pa.B. 4418; amended January 24, 1992, effective November 9, 1991, 22 Pa.B. 361; amended October 11, 2019, effective October 12, 2019, 49 Pa.B. 5943. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (375582) to (375584) and (278529).
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