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Office of Mental Health

OMH Field Offices | Patient Safety Standards Guidelines | BHSA Council

E-Z PAR Introduction Video Transcription

Date: December 15, 2010
Length of Audio: 4:01
Transcribed by: Paul Murray

Speaker: Joanne Antico

Hi, this is Joanne Antico from the Office of Mental Health, Bureau of Inspection and Certification. I will be discussing the submission of an E-Z Prior Approval Review (PAR) application through Office of Mental Health (OMH)’s Mental Health Provider Data Exchange System, or Mental Health Provider Data Exchange (MHPD).

Providers familiar with submitting administrative actions through MHPD will find the E-Z PAR process to be very similar.

As of November 29, 2010, all E-Z PAR applications should be submitted through MHPD’s system. The processing time frame for all E-Z PAR projects will remain the same as in the past. It is OMH’s intent to issue decisions regarding E-Z PAR projects within 30 business days of submission of a complete application.

If an application is deemed incomplete, the Bureau of Inspection and Certification will notify the applicant within 5 business days of the submission of the application. An applicant will have 10 business days from the time a request is made to provide additional information. If the additional information is not received within 10 business days the application may be withdrawn by the Office of Mental Health.

Different types of E-Z PAR projects will have specific requirements for additional information. Therefore, it may be necessary to include attachments. There are several methods by which the specified documentation can be submitted to the Bureau. This includes uploading it as an attachment to the electronic application in MHPD, or submission of documents by traditional means such as postal mail, e-mail, or fax. E-mail and web addresses will be given at the end of this segment.

Please note that the E-Z PAR application will not be considered complete until all required documentation has been received by the Bureau of Inspection and Certification.  However, OMH may begin the review process without the submission of some documents such as, Certificates of Occupancy or signed lease.

So, what projects fall under the E-Z PAR process? You will see the various projects that fall under the E-Z PAR review category on the screen to my right. If you wish to take some time to review the next three slides in more detail, you can pause this video and then hit the “play” button when you are ready to resume.

I would like to take a moment to highlight two E-Z PAR projects that have undergone recent revision due to changes to Part 551. First, any community residence with a capital project above $250,000 will no longer be reviewed under the comprehensive PAR category. It is now under E-Z PAR review category. Second, closure of the outpatient satellite with staffing 5.5 Full Time Equivalent (FTE)s or greater is now under the E-Z PAR review process.

On the screen you will see the E-Z PAR review process flow-chart. There are four charts describing the process. Chart 1 shows the pre-PAR submission process; chart 2 shows the PARS submission process; chart 3 shows the PAR review process; and chart 4 shows the PAR decision process. If you wish to take a moment to look back at these slides you can again pause this video, select a slide from the table of contents, and then push the “play” button.

The electronic E-Z PAR application can be found at the internet address now showing on your screen. If you have any questions or comments about the E-Z PAR process or using MHPD, please contact us at the email address shown on your screen.