(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.