Sec. 1. 22 MRSA §1720 is enacted to read:

§1720.__Admission and discharge policy requirements for hospitals

with swing beds

A hospital that provides long-term care services, referred to in this section as a "swing bed hospital," in compliance with applicable provisions of 42 Code of Federal Regulations, Section 482.66 shall establish admission and discharge policies consistent with the provisions of this section and other applicable licensing standards.__A swing bed hospital may discharge a patient to its own swing beds or to a nursing facility of the patient's choice, as long as that nursing facility meets all applicable licensing standards.__A swing bed hospital may not discharge a patient to the swing beds of another hospital unless that is the only safe and appropriate alternative.

SUMMARY

This bill requires a hospital that has so-called "swing bed" services to establish admissions policies limiting the types of patients that hospital may accept and requiring the hospital to discharge patients to that hospital's own swing beds or to licensed nursing facilities of the patients' choice.