CA AB894

Requires general acute care hospitals, beginning July 1, 2026, to inform patients or their representatives at admission that they may restrict or prohibit the use or disclosure of protected health information in the hospital's patient directory

Mandates hospitals provide this information through two methods: a separate paper or digital document with a checkbox to opt out of directory inclusion, and verbal notification by hospital personnel

Requires the privacy information and documents to be available in the top five non-English languages spoken in the hospital's service area

Defines "patient's representative" as a person with legal authority to make medical care decisions on behalf of the patient

Violations of these requirements constitute a crime under existing health facility licensing law