§ 19-308-8

(a) A hospital may discharge a patient: (1) Entirely; (2) To another level of care, treatment, or services; (3) To different health professionals; or (4) To settings for continued services. (b) A hospital’s process for transfer or discharge shall be based on a patient’s assessed needs. (c) To facilitate discharge or transfer, the hospital shall: (1) Assess a patient’s needs; (2) Plan for discharge or transfer; (3) Facilitate the discharge or transfer process; (4) Give the patient or person responsible for providing continuing care to the patient written discharge instructions in a form the patient can understand; and (5) Help to ensure that continuity of care, treatment, and services is maintained. (d) If a hospital fails to comply with the requirements of this section, the Secretary may impose a civil money penalty not to exceed $10,000 for each failure to comply. (e) A hospital may appeal a civil money penalty imposed under subsection (c) of this section in accordance with Title 10, Subtitle 2 of the State Government Article.