New Hampshire § 151-43 - Section 151:43 Opportunity to Designate a Caregiver.

§ 151-43. Section 151:43 Opportunity to Designate a Caregiver.

I. A hospital shall provide each patient or, if applicable, the patient's legally designated health care decision maker with at least one opportunity to designate at least one caregiver following the patient's entry into a hospital, prior to the patient's discharge or transfer to another facility, in a timeframe that is consistent with the discharge planning process. (a) If the patient is unconscious or otherwise incapacitated upon his or her entry into a hospital, the hospital shall provide such patient or his or her legally designated health care decision maker with an opportunity to designate a caregiver within 24 hours following the patient's recovery of his or her consciousness or capacity. (b) If the patient or the patient's legally designated health care decision maker declines to designate a caregiver, the hospital shall promptly document this in the patient's medical record, and the hospital shall be deemed to have complied with the provisions of RSA 151:43. (c) If the patient or the patient's legally designated health care decision maker designates an individual as a caregiver: (1) The hospital shall promptly request the written consent of the patient or the patient's legally designated health care decision maker to release medical information to the patient's designated caregiver following the hospital's established procedures for releasing personal health information and in compliance with all federal and state laws. If the patient or the patient's legally designated health care decision maker declines to consent to release medical information to the patient's designated caregiver, the hospital shall not be required to provide notice to the caregiver under RSA 151:44 or provide information contained in the patient's discharge plan under RSA 151:45. (2) The hospital shall record the patient's designation of caregiver, the relationship of the designated caregiver to the patient, and the name, telephone number, and address of the patient's designated caregiver in the patient's medical record. (d) A patient may elect to change his or her designated caregiver at any time, and the hospital shall record this change in the patient's medical record. II. A designation of a caregiver by a patient or a patient's legally designated health care decision maker under this section shall not obligate any individual to perform any after-care tasks for any patient. III. This section shall not be construed to require a patient or a patient's legally designated health care decision maker to designate any individual as a caregiver.