Georgia § 37-7-85 - Periodic review of treatment plan; procedure upon termination of need for involuntary treatment; designation of discharge decisionmaker; notice of discharge or transfer to voluntary status.

§ 37-7-85. Periodic review of treatment plan; procedure upon termination of need for involuntary treatment; designation of discharge decisionmaker; notice of discharge or transfer to voluntary status.

Each individualized treatment plan for a patient receiving involuntary inpatient treatment shall be reviewed at regular intervals to determine the patient's progress toward the stated goals and objectives of the plan and to determine whether the plan should be modified because of the patient's present condition. These reviews should be based upon relevant progress notes in the patient's clinical record and upon other related information; and input from the patient should be obtained and utilized where feasible. Any time a patient receiving involuntary inpatient treatment is found by the chief medical officer, after consideration of the recommendations of the treatment team, no longer to be an alcoholic, a drug dependent individual, or a drug abuser requiring involuntary inpatient treatment, the chief medical officer may: Discharge the patient from involuntary outpatient or inpatient treatment, or both, subject to the conditions of Code Section 37-7-95; Discharge the patient from involuntary inpatient treatment and require that the patient obtain available outpatient treatment for the remaining period the patient was to have been required to obtain inpatient treatment, as long as the patient then meets the standards for being discharged to outpatient treatment under paragraph (2) of subsection (a) of Code Section 37-7-81.1 and subject to the conditions of Code Section 37-7-95; or Transfer the patient to voluntary status at the patient's request, as provided in Code Section 37-7-24. The chief medical officer may designate in writing another physician, who may be the attending physician, to make these discharge decisions. If the decision of the designee is contrary to the recommendations of the treatment team, the issue must go to the chief medical officer for final determination. Where the treatment team and the designee concur, the decision of the designee will be final. Notice of the discharge or the transfer of status shall be given to the patient and his representatives; if the patient's hospitalization was authorized by order of a court, to the court which entered such order; and, if the patient was under criminal charges of which the facility received written notification, by certified mail or statutory overnight delivery to the law enforcement agency originally having custody of the patient. (Code 1933, § 88-404.24, enacted by Ga. L. 1971, p. 273, § 1; Ga. L. 1977, p. 1293, § 7; Code 1933, § 88-406.6, enacted by Ga. L. 1978, p. 1856, § 1; Ga. L. 1986, p. 1098, § 9; Ga. L. 1991, p. 1059, § 5; Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 3.) Editor's notes. - Ga. L. 2000, p. 1589, § 16, not codified by the General Assembly, provides that the amendment to this Code section is applicable with respect to notices delivered on or after July 1, 2000.