(a)In order to facilitate the orderly transition of aged patients and patients with disabilities from hospitals to post-hospital care, whenever a patient who qualifies for the federal Medicare program is hospitalized, the patient shall be notified of discharge at least 24 hours prior to discharge from the hospital. With regard to pending discharges to a skilled nursing facility, the hospital must notify the case coordination unit, as defined in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 240.260, at least 24 hours prior to discharge. When the assessment is completed in the hospital, the case coordination unit shall provide a copy of the required assessment documentation directly to the nursing home to which the patient is being discharged prior to discharge. The Department on Aging shall provide notice of this req
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(a) In order to facilitate the orderly transition of aged patients and patients with disabilities from hospitals to post-hospital care, whenever a patient who qualifies for the federal Medicare program is hospitalized, the patient shall be notified of discharge at least 24 hours prior to discharge from the hospital. With regard to pending discharges to a skilled nursing facility, the hospital must notify the case coordination unit, as defined in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 240.260, at least 24 hours prior to discharge. When the assessment is completed in the hospital, the case coordination unit shall provide a copy of the required assessment documentation directly to the nursing home to which the patient is being discharged prior to discharge. The Department on Aging shall provide notice of this requirement to case coordination units. When a case coordination unit is unable to complete an assessment in a hospital prior to the discharge of a patient, 60 years of age or older, to a nursing home, the case coordination unit shall notify the Department on Aging which shall notify the Department of Healthcare and Family Services. The Department on Aging shall adopt rules to address these instances to ensure that the patient is able to access nursing home care, the nursing home is not penalized for accepting the admission, and the patient's timely discharge from the hospital is not delayed, to the extent permitted under federal law or regulation. Nothing in this subsection shall preclude federal requirements for a pre-admission screening/mental health (PAS/MH) as required under Section 2-201.5 of the Nursing Home Care Act or State or federal law or regulation. If home health services are ordered, the hospital must inform its designated case coordination unit, as defined in 89 Ill. Adm. Code 240.260, of the pending discharge and must provide the patient with the case coordination unit's telephone number and other contact information. (b) Every hospital shall develop procedures for a physician with medical staff privileges at the hospital or any appropriate medical staff member to provide the discharge notice prescribed in subsection (a) of this Section. The procedures must include prohibitions against discharging or referring a patient to any of the following if unlicensed, uncertified, or unregistered: (i) a board and care facility, as defined in the Board and Care Home Act; (ii) an assisted living and shared housing establishment, as defined in the Assisted Living and Shared Housing Act; (iii) a facility licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act, the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013, the ID/DD Community Care Act, or the MC/DD Act; (iv) a supportive living facility, as defined in Section 5-5.01a of the Illinois Public Aid Code; or (v) a free-standing hospice facility licensed under the Hospice Program Licensing Act if licensure, certification, or registration is required. The Department of Public Health shall annually provide hospitals with a list of licensed, certified, or registered board and care facilities, assisted living and shared housing establishments, nursing homes, supportive living facilities, facilities licensed under the ID/DD Community Care Act, the MC/DD Act, or the Specialized Mental Health Rehabilitation Act of 2013, and hospice facilities. Reliance upon this list by a hospital shall satisfy compliance with this requirement. The procedure may also include a waiver for any case in which a discharge notice is not feasible due to a short length of stay in the hospital by the patient, or for any case in which the patient voluntarily desires to leave the hospital before the expiration of the 24 hour period. (c) At least 24 hours prior to discharge from the hospital, the patient shall receive written information on the patient's right to appeal the discharge pursuant to the federal Medicare program, including the steps to follow to appeal the discharge and the appropriate telephone number to call in case the patient intends to appeal the discharge. (d) Before transfer of a patient to a long term care facility licensed under the Nursing Home Care Act where elderly persons reside, a hospital shall as soon as practicable initiate a name-based criminal history background check by electronic submission to the Illinois State Police for all persons between the ages of 18 and 70 years; provided, however, that a hospital shall be required to initiate such a background check only with respect to patients who: (1) are transferring to a long term care facility for the first time; (2) have been in the hospital more than 5 days; (3) are reasonably expected to remain at the long term care facility for more than 30 days; (4) have a known history of serious mental illness or substance abuse; and (5) are independently ambulatory or mobile for more than a temporary period of time. A hospital may also request a criminal history background check for a patient who does not meet any of the criteria set forth in items (1) through (5). A hospital shall notify a long term care facility if the hospital has initiated a criminal history background check on a patient being discharged to that facility. In all circumstances in which the hospital is required by this subsection to initiate the criminal history background check, the transfer to the long term care facility may proceed regardless of the availability of criminal history results. Upon receipt of the results, the hospital shall promptly forward the results to the appropriate long term care facility. If the results of the background check are inconclusive, the hospital shall have no additional duty or obligation to seek additional information from, or about, the patient.