12VAC35-105-1790: Substance abuse outpatient services Level of care 1.0 program criteria

Substance abuse outpatient services programs shall meet the following programmatic requirements. The program shall:

1. Offer no more than nine hours of programming a week;

2. Ensure emergency services shall be available by telephone 24 hours a day, seven days a week;

3. Provide individual or group counseling, motivational enhancement, family therapy, educational groups, occupational and recreational therapy, psychotherapy, addiction, and pharmacotherapy as indicated by each individual's needs;

4. For individuals with mental illness, ensure the use of psychotropic medication, mental health treatment and that the individual's relationship to substance abuse disorders shall be addressed as the need arises;

5. Provide medical, psychiatric, psychological, laboratory, and toxicology services onsite or through consultation or referral. Medical and psychiatric consultation shall be available within 24 hours by telephone, or if in person, within a timeframe appropriate to the severity and urgency of the consultation requested;

6. Have direct affiliations with other easily accessible levels of care or coordinate through referral to more or less intensive levels of care and other services; and

7. Ensure through documentation that the duration of treatment varies with the severity of the individual's illness and response to treatment.