(Amended (as added by Stats. 2023, Ch. 790, Sec. 25) by Stats. 2025, Ch. 67, Sec. 191.)

(a) (1) Each county behavioral health system shall comply with reporting requirements developed by the State Department of Health Care Services, in consultation with the California Behavioral Health Planning Council and the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, which shall be uniform and simplified.

(2) The department shall review existing data requirements to eliminate unnecessary requirements and consolidate requirements that are necessary.

(3) These requirements shall provide comparability between counties in reports.

(b) (1) The department and the California Health and Human Services Agency shall develop, in consultation with the Performance Outcome Committee and the California Behavioral Health Planning Council, pursuant to Section 5611, as well as the Behavioral Health Services Oversight and Accountability Commission, uniform definitions and formats for a statewide, nonduplicative, client-based information system that includes all information necessary to meet federal mental health grant requirements, state and federal Medicaid reporting requirements, and other state requirements established by law.

(2) The data system, including performance outcome measures reported pursuant to Section 5613, shall be developed by July 1, 1992.

(c) Unless determined necessary by the department to comply with federal law and regulations, the data system developed pursuant to subdivision (b) shall not be more costly than that in place during the 1990–91 fiscal year.

(d) (1) The department shall develop unique client identifiers that permit development of client-specific cost and outcome measures and related research and analysis.

(2) The department’s collection and use of client information, and the development and use of client identifiers, shall be consistent with clients’ constitutional and statutory rights to privacy and confidentiality.

(3) (A) Data reported to the department may include name and other personal identifiers.

(B) That information is confidential and subject to Section 5328 and any other state and federal law regarding confidential client information.

(4) Personal client identifiers reported to the department shall be protected to ensure confidentiality during transmission and storage through encryption and other appropriate means.

(5) (A) Information reported to the department may be shared with local public behavioral health agencies submitting records for the same person.

(B) The information described in this paragraph is subject to Section 5328.

(e) All client information reported to the department pursuant to Chapter 2 (commencing with Section 4030) of Part 1 of Division 4 and Sections 5328 to 5772, inclusive, Chapter 8.9 (commencing with Section 14700), and any other state and federal law regarding reporting requirements, consistent with Section 5328, shall not be used for purposes other than those purposes expressly stated in the reporting requirements referred to in this subdivision.

(f) The department may adopt emergency regulations to implement this section in accordance with the Administrative Procedure Act (Chapter 3.5 (commencing with Section 11340) of Part 1 of Division 3 of Title 2 of the Government Code). The adoption of emergency regulations to implement this section that are filed with the Office of Administrative Law within one year of the date on which the act that added this subdivision took effect shall be deemed to be an emergency and necessary for the immediate preservation of the public peace, health and safety, or general welfare and shall remain in effect for no more than 180 days.