Section 31-53-3 - Establishment of Office of Health Strategy and Coordination; powers and duties(a) There is established within the office of the Governor the Office of Health Strategy and Coordination. The objective of the office shall be to strengthen and support the health care infrastructure of the state through interconnecting health functions and sharing resources across multiple state agencies and overcoming barriers to the coordination of health functions, including overseeing coordination of mental health policy and behavioral health services across state agencies. To this end, all affected state agencies shall cooperate with the office in its efforts to meet such objective. This shall not be construed to authorize the office to perform any function currently performed by an affected state agency.(b) The office shall have the following powers and duties: (1) Bring together experts from academic institutions and industries as well as state elected and appointed leaders to provide a forum to share information, coordinate the major functions of the state's health care system, and develop innovative approaches for lowering costs while improving access to quality care;(2) Serve as a forum for identifying Georgia's specific health issues of greatest concern and promote cooperation from both public and private agencies to test new and innovative ideas;(3) Evaluate the effectiveness of previously enacted and ongoing health programs and determine how best to achieve the goals of promoting innovation, competition, cost reduction, and access to care, and improving Georgia's health care system, attracting new providers, and expanding access to services by existing providers;(4) Facilitate collaboration and coordination between state agencies, including, but not limited to, the Department of Public Health, the Department of Community Health, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Economic Development, the Department of Transportation, the Department of Education, the Department of Early Care and Learning, the Department of Juvenile Justice, the Department of Corrections, and the Department of Community Supervision;(5) Evaluate prescription costs and make recommendations to public employee insurance programs, departments, and governmental entities for prescription formulary design and cost reduction strategies and create a comprehensive unified formulary for mental health and substance use disorder prescriptions under Medicaid and PeachCare for Kids, and a comprehensive unified formulary for mental health and substance use disorder prescriptions for the state health benefit plan no later than December 1, 2022;(6) Maximize the effectiveness of existing resources, expertise, and opportunities for improvement;(7) Review existing State Health Benefit Plan contracts, Medicaid care management organization contracts, and other contracts entered into by the state for health related services, evaluate proposed revisions to the State Health Benefit Plan, and make recommendations to the Department of Community Health prior to renewing or entering into new contracts;(8) Coordinate state health care functions and programs and identify opportunities to maximize federal funds for health care programs;(9) Oversee collaborative health efforts to ensure efficient use of funds secured at the federal, state, regional, and local levels;(10) Evaluate community proposals that identify local needs and formulate local or regional solutions that address state, local, or regional health care gaps;(11) Monitor established agency pilot programs for effectiveness;(12) Identify nationally recognized effective evidence based strategies;(13) Propose cost reduction measures;(14) Provide a platform for data distribution compiled by the boards, commissions, committees, councils, and offices listed in Code Section 31-53-7;(15) Assess the health metrics of the state and recommend models for improvement which may include healthy behavior and social determinant models;(16) Develop solutions to the systemic barriers or problems impeding the delivery of behavioral health services by making recommendations that address funding, policy changes, practice changes; establish specific goals designed to improve the delivery of behavioral health services, increase behavioral health access and outcome for individuals, including children, adolescents, and adults served by various state agencies;(17) Focus on specific goals designed to resolve issues relative to the provision of behavioral health services that negatively impact individuals, including children, adolescents, and adults served by various state agencies;(18) Monitor and evaluate the implementation of established goals and recommendations to improve behavioral health access across prevention, intervention, and treatment;(19) Establish common outcome measures that are to be utilized for and represented in evaluation and progress of various state agencies that manage and oversee mental health services;(20) Partner with the Department of Corrections and the Department of Juvenile Justice to provide ongoing evaluation of mental health wraparound services and connectivity to local mental health resources to meet the needs of clients in the state reentry plan;(21) Partner with the Department of Community Supervision to evaluate the ability to share mental health data between state and local agencies, such as community service boards and the Department of Community Supervision, to assist state and local agencies in identifying and treating those under community supervision who are also receiving community based mental health services;(22) Partner with community service boards to ensure that behavioral health services are made available and provided to children, adolescents, and adults through direct services, contracted services, or collaboration with state agencies, nonprofit organizations, and colleges and universities, as appropriate, utilizing any available state and federal funds or grants; and(23) Centralizing the ongoing and comprehensive planning, policy, and strategy development across state agencies, Medicaid care management organizations and fee for service providers, and private insurance partners.(c)(1) The office shall examine methods to increase access to certified peer specialists in rural and other underserved or unserved communities and identify any impediments to such access. Such examination shall include strategies to expand training for certified peer specialists to promote long-term recovery for individuals with substance use disorder.(2) The office shall examine the option of fully implementing certain requirements under the federal SUPPORT for Patients and Communities Act, P.L. 115-271, regarding youth in the juvenile justice system to allow for successful transition to community services upon release.(d)(1) The office shall conduct a survey or study on the transport of individuals to and from emergency receiving, evaluation, and treatment facilities pursuant to Chapters 3 and 7 of Title 37. Such survey or study shall identify what method of transport is used in each county of the state, such as the sheriff, a law enforcement agency, a private nonemergency transport provider, or an ambulance service. Such survey or study shall be completed, compiled into a report, and provided to the General Assembly and the Governor no later than January 1, 2023.(2) This subsection shall stand repealed by operation of law on January 1, 2023.Amended by 2022 Ga. Laws 587,§ 4-3, eff. 7/1/2022.Added by 2019 Ga. Laws 41,§ 2-2, eff. 7/1/2019.