Hospital patient discharge process: homeless patients.

(1) Existing law requires the State Department of Public Health to license and regulate general acute care hospitals, acute psychiatric hospitals, and special hospitals. Existing law requires these hospitals to comply with specific statutory provisions for standards of care and regulations promulgated by the department, and a violation of these provisions or regulations is a crime. Existing law requires each hospital to have a written discharge planning policy and process that requires that the appropriate arrangements for posthospital care are made prior to discharge for those patients likely to suffer adverse health consequences upon discharge if there is no adequate discharge planning. This bill would require each hospital to include a written homeless patient discharge planning policy and process within the hospital discharge policy, as specified. The bill would require a hospital to document specified information before discharging a homeless patient. The bill would, commencing on July 1, 2019, require a hospital to develop a written plan for coordinating services and referrals for homeless patients with the county behavioral health agency, health care and social service agencies in the region, health care providers, and nonprofit social service providers, as available, to assist with ensuring appropriate homeless patient discharge. The bill would also, commencing on July 1, 2019, require a hospital to maintain a log of homeless patients discharged and the destinations to which they were released after discharge, as specified, if any. The bill would specify how its provisions are to be construed in relation to local ordinances, codes, regulations, or orders related to the homeless patient discharge processes, and would exempt state hospitals under the jurisdiction of the State Department of State Hospitals from its provisions. Because a violation of these requirements would be a crime, this bill would impose a state-mandated local program. (2) The California Constitution requires the state to reimburse local agencies and school districts for certain costs mandated by the state. Statutory provisions establish procedures for making that reimbursement. This bill would provide that no reimbursement is required by this act for a specified reason.