SB 991 - Under this act, the "Caregiver, Advise, Record, and Enable (CARE) Act," a hospital or ambulatory surgical center shall provide each patient or patient's legal guardian with an opportunity to designate a caregiver prior to the patient's discharge. Such designation shall include written consent of the patient or the patient's legal guardian to release confidential medical information to the designated caregiver if such records are necessary for the provision of after-care. Such caregiver designation, or lack thereof, shall be documented by the hospital or ambulatory surgical center. The hospital or ambulatory surgical center shall notify a patient's caregiver of the patient's discharge or transfer as soon as practicable, and provide the caregiver with the patient's discharge plan or instructions for after-care. Nothing in this act authorizes or requires compensation of caregivers by a state agency or health carrier. Hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, or employees or contractors of such shall not be liable in any way for the actions of a caregiver. Nothing in this act shall interfere with the rights of an attorney-in-fact under a durable power of health care.
This act is substantially similar to a provision in the truly agreed to and finally passed CCS/HCS/SCS/SB 718 (2018), HB 796 (2018), HCS/HB 2293 (2018), and SB 1102 (2016).
SARAH HASKINS