(1) Upon inpatient admission to a hospital, each patient or patient’s legal guardian shall have the opportunity to designate one (1) lay caregiver after the patient’s admission into a hospital and before the patient’s discharge to the residence.
(a) If the patient is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated upon inpatient admission to the hospital, the patient’s legal guardian shall have an opportunity to designate one (1) lay caregiver after the patient’s recovery of consciousness or capacity, so long as the designation or lack of designation does not interfere with, delay or otherwise affect the medical care provided to the patient.
(b) If the patient or the patient’s legal guardian does not designate a lay caregiver under this chapter, the hospital shall document that in the patient’s medical record.
(c) If the patient or the patient’s legal guardian designates a lay caregiver under this subsection (1), the hospital shall promptly request the written consent of the patient or the patient’s legal guardian to release medical information to the designated lay caregiver in accordance with the hospital’s established procedures for releasing personal health information and in compliance with applicable state and federal law.
(d) If the patient or the patient’s legal guardian does not consent to the release of medical information to the designated lay caregiver, the hospital is not required to provide notice to the lay caregiver under Section 41-133-5.
(e) If the patient or the patient’s legal guardian designates a lay caregiver under this subsection (1), the hospital shall record the designation of the lay caregiver, the relationship of the lay caregiver to the patient, and the name, telephone number and physical address of the designated lay caregiver in the patient’s medical record.
(2) A patient or the patient’s legal guardian may elect to change his or her designated lay caregiver if the lay caregiver becomes incapacitated.
(3) Designation of a lay caregiver by a patient or a patient’s legal guardian under this chapter does not obligate any individual to perform any aftercare tasks for the patient.
(4) This section shall not be construed so as to require a patient or a patient’s legal guardian to designate any individual as a lay caregiver.
Copyright ©2024 LegalFix. All rights reserved. LegalFix is not a law firm, is not licensed to practice law, and does not provide legal advice, services, or representation. The information on this website is an overview of the legal plans you can purchase—or that may be provided by your employer as an employee benefit or by your credit union or other membership group as a membership benefit.
LegalFix provides its members with easy access to affordable legal services through a network of independent law firms. LegalFix, its corporate entity, and its officers, directors, employees, agents, and contractors do not provide legal advice, services, or representation—directly or indirectly.
The articles and information on the site are not legal advice and should not be relied upon—they are for information purposes only. You should become a LegalFix member to get legal services from one of our network law firms.
You should not disclose confidential or potentially incriminating information to LegalFix—you should only communicate such information to your network law firm.
The benefits and legal services described in the LegalFix legal plans are not always available in all states or with all plans. See the legal plan Benefit Overview and the more comprehensive legal plan contract during checkout for coverage details in your state.
Use of this website, the purchase of legal plans, and access to the LegalFix networks of law firms are subject to the LegalFix Terms of Service and Privacy Policy.