HOTLINE AND CALL CENTER COORDINATION

(a) The commission shall establish a process to ensure all health and human services system hotlines and call centers are necessary and appropriate. Under the process, the commission shall: (1) develop criteria for use in assessing whether a hotline or call center serves an ongoing purpose; (2) develop and maintain an inventory of all system hotlines and call centers; (3) use the inventory and assessment criteria the commission develops under this subsection to periodically consolidate hotlines and call centers along appropriate functional lines; (4) develop an approval process designed to ensure that a newly established hotline or call center, including the telephone system and contract terms for the hotline or call center, meets policies and standards the commission establishes; and (5) develop policies and standards for hotlines and call centers that: (A) include quality and quantity performance measures and benchmarks; and (B) may include policies and standards for: (i) client satisfaction with call resolution; (ii) accuracy of information provided; (iii) the percentage of received calls that are answered; (iv) the amount of time a caller spends on hold; and (v) call abandonment rates. (b) In consolidating hotlines and call centers under Subsection (a)(3), the commission shall seek to maximize the use and effectiveness of the commission's 2-1-1 telephone number. (c) In developing policies and standards under Subsection (a)(5), the commission may allow varied performance measures and benchmarks for a hotline or call center based on factors affecting the capacity of the hotline or call center, including factors such as staffing levels and funding.