§53.1. Requirements; medical evaluation; discharge plan; healthcare provider notification requirements

            A. If a patient is admitted for inpatient behavioral healthcare services pursuant to an emergency certificate issued in accordance with R.S. 28:53, the admitting healthcare facility shall provide certain services upon admission and discharge.

            B. Within seventy-two hours of admission, the healthcare facility shall do all of the following:

            (1) Ensure that a licensed healthcare professional conducts a behavioral health evaluation of the patient for underlying behavioral conditions.

            (2) Contact the patient's primary healthcare provider or licensed healthcare professional providing behavioral health services, if known, to establish a patient treatment history.

            C. Upon discharge, the individual who is responsible for discharge planning at the healthcare facility where the patient has been admitted shall make a reasonable effort to do all of the following:

            (1) Provide written or telephonic notification to any healthcare professional that is currently providing behavioral health services or primary care services to the patient, if known, of the date and time that the patient is scheduled to be discharged unless the patient objects to that information being communicated. If the patient does not have a healthcare professional who is currently providing behavioral health services, the discharging healthcare facility shall refer the patient to the appropriate healthcare service, including behavioral and primary care providers.

            (2) Provide written or telephonic notification within twenty-four hours of discharge to any healthcare professional that the patient is being referred to for follow-up behavioral health services. The healthcare professional that the patient is being referred to shall be provided with a summary of the patient's medical history and any current mental health conditions that the patient is suffering from at the time of discharge. The summary shall be transmitted no later than the date that the patient has been scheduled for follow-up behavioral services.

            (3) Provide to the patient educational documents published by the Louisiana Department of Health prior to or at the time of discharge. The Louisiana Department of Health shall create and publish educational documents that provide information directed to the patient and the patient's family members, caregivers, or friends about the warning signs of self-harm and the importance of seeking behavioral health services after an admission pursuant to an emergency certificate has ended. The documentation shall instruct the patient and the patient's family members, caregivers, or friends to seek assistance from a healthcare professional to provide ongoing care and clarify that medical privacy laws do not prevent a family member, friend, or other loved one from communicating the patient's condition to a healthcare professional treating the patient.

            (4) Ensure that the patient is provided with the appropriate prescriptions.

            Acts 2024, No. 737, §1; Acts 2026, No. 878, §1.