Pa. Code 5200.22

Staffing pattern

This section establishes staffing requirements for Pennsylvania psychiatric outpatient clinics, including minimum ratios of mental health professionals providing psychotherapy, required psychiatric supervision hours per FTE clinical staff member, and allowances for tele-behavioral health and advanced practice professionals to fulfill a portion of psychiatric time. Operators must also maintain sufficient clerical staff, adopt written personnel and training policies, and ensure specialized staff are in place when serving children.

55 Pa. Code § 5200.22 - Staffing pattern 

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(a)
 There
 shall be qualified staff and supporting personnel in sufficient numbers to
 provide the services included in the psychiatric outpatient clinic's program as
 follows: 
(1)
 At least 50% of the treatment
 staff providing psychotherapy services shall be mental health
 professionals.

(2)
 A psychiatric
 outpatient clinic is required to have 2 hours of psychiatric time per week for
 each FTE mental health professional and mental health worker providing clinical
 services.

(3)
 The psychiatrist must
 provide 50% of the required psychiatric time at the psychiatric outpatient
 clinic.

(4)
 The remaining 50% of
 the psychiatric time may be provided by:
(i)

 An advanced practice professional.

(ii)
 A psychiatrist off-site by the use of
 tele-behavioral health.

(iii)
 A
 combination of subparagraphs (i) and (ii).

(b)
 All clinical staff shall be supervised by
 the psychiatrist having the overall responsibility for clinical services
 provided by the psychiatric outpatient clinic as defined in §
 
5200.23
 (relating to psychiatric
 supervision).

(c)
 There shall be
 sufficient clerical staff to keep correspondence, records and files current and
 in good order.

(d)
 The psychiatric
 outpatient clinic shall recruit and hire staff that is appropriate for the
 population to be served.

(e)
 If the
 psychiatric outpatient clinic serves children, specialized personnel are
 required, as appropriate, to deliver services to children.

(f)
 Each psychiatric outpatient clinic shall
 have a written comprehensive personnel policy.

(g)
 There shall be a written plan for
 regular, ongoing staff development and training.

(h)
 Graduate and undergraduate students in
 accredited training programs in various mental health disciplines may
 participate in the treatment of individuals receiving services when under the
 direct supervision of a mental health professional, but are not to be included
 for the purpose of defining staffing patterns.

(i)
 Psychiatric residents with an
 unrestricted license to practice medicine in this Commonwealth who are under
 the direct supervision of a psychiatrist are defined as mental health
 professionals for the purpose of defining staffing patterns.

(j)
 Volunteers may be used in various support
 and activity functions of the clinic, but are not considered for the purposes
 of defining staffing patterns.

Notes

55

 Pa. Code §
 
5200.22

The
 provisions of this § 5200.22 amended October 11, 2019, effective
 
10/12/2019
, 49 Pa.B.
 5943.

The provisions of this § 5200.22 amended under section
 1021 of the Human Services Code (
62 P.S. §
 
1021
);
 sections 105 and 112 of the Mental Health Procedures Act (
50 P.S. §§
 
7105
 and
 
7112
); and section 201(2) of
 the Mental Health and Intellectual Disability Act of 1966 (
50 P.S. §
 
4201(2)
).

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