CT SB00956

Department of Public Health must adopt regulations setting minimum standards for hospital and nursing home discharge planning, including written discharge plans with follow-up appointment dates and locations plus current medication lists.

Hospitals must electronically transmit all post-discharge prescriptions to the patient's pharmacy prior to discharge and allow patients to designate a caregiver at or before receiving written discharge instructions.

Hospitals and nursing homes must provide caregivers with nontechnical instruction on post-discharge assistance tasks prior to discharge, including live or recorded demonstrations, opportunities to ask questions, and culturally competent language access services.

Healthcare facilities must document all caregiver training in the patient's medical record, including date, time, and contents of instruction, and make reasonable attempts to notify designated caregivers of discharge.

Patients and residents are not required to designate a caregiver, and designated caregivers have no obligation to perform assistance or receive training; provisions apply only to discharges to the patient's home in the community.