53-21-1204. Department to contract for detention beds. (1) To the extent funding is appropriated for the purposes of this section, for each service area, as defined in 53-21-1001, the department shall contract with a mental health facility for psychiatric treatment beds that may be used for:

(a) inpatient crisis intervention services needed prior to an involuntary commitment petition being filed; and

(b) emergency detention under 53-21-129 and court-ordered detention under 53-21-124 after an involuntary commitment petition has been filed but before final disposition.

(2) Contracting pursuant to this section must take into consideration strategic plans developed pursuant to 53-21-1201 and 53-21-1202 and local need for precommitment and short-term inpatient treatment services.

(3) Each contract must provide that for payment of costs for detention, evaluation, and treatment pursuant to subsection (1), the facility shall bill for payment of costs in the order of priority provided for under 53-21-132(2)(a).

(4) Each contract must require the collection and reporting of fiscal and program data in the time and manner prescribed by the department to support program evaluation and measure progress on performance objectives. The department shall establish baseline data on emergency and court-ordered detention admissions to the state hospital from each county and analyze the effect of contracting under this section on state hospital admissions.