The No Patient Left Alone Act - Summary

• Requires hospitals, nursing homes, combination homes, hospice care facilities, adult care homes, special care units, and residential treatment facilities to permit patient visitation to the fullest extent allowed under federal rules, regulations, and guidelines from the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services and Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

• Authorizes the North Carolina Department of Health and Human Services to issue a 24-hour warning followed by civil penalties of at least $500.00 per instance per day for facilities that violate patient visitation rights, in addition to any federal penalties.

• Allows facilities to restrict compassionate care visitors only if they fail health screenings or test positive for infectious diseases, and permits infection control procedures including personal protective equipment requirements.

• Defines five specific compassionate care situations that mandate visitation rights: end-of-life situations, patients struggling with environment changes, grieving patients, patients experiencing weight loss or dehydration, and patients showing emotional distress.

• Requires facilities to provide written notice of visitation rights to patients and families, including contact information for reporting violations, and takes effect November 1, 2021.