Iowa Code 144F.4 – Aftercare assistance instructions to lay caregiver
Current as of: 2023 | Check for updates
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1. If a lay caregiver is designated under section 144F.2, as soon as practicable prior to discharge of a patient, a hospital shall attempt to do all of the following:
a. Consult with the patient’s lay caregiver to prepare the lay caregiver for the aftercare assistance the lay caregiver may provide.
b. Issue a discharge plan that describes the aftercare assistance needs of the patient and offer to provide the lay caregiver with instructions for the aftercare assistance tasks described in the discharge plan and the opportunity for the lay caregiver to ask questions regarding such tasks.
Terms Used In Iowa Code 144F.4
- Aftercare assistance: means any assistance provided by a lay caregiver to a patient following discharge of the patient that involves tasks directly related to the patient's condition at the time of discharge, does not require a licensed professional, and is determined to be appropriate by the patient's discharging physician or other licensed health care professional. See Iowa Code 144F.1
- Discharge: means the exit or release of a patient from inpatient care in a hospital to the residence of the patient. See Iowa Code 144F.1
- following: when used by way of reference to a chapter or other part of a statute mean the next preceding or next following chapter or other part. See Iowa Code 4.1
- Hospital: means a licensed hospital as defined in section 135B. See Iowa Code 144F.1
- Lay caregiver: means an individual, eighteen years of age or older, who is designated as a lay caregiver under this chapter by a patient or the patient's legal representative, and who is willing and able to perform aftercare assistance for the patient at the patient's residence following discharge. See Iowa Code 144F.1
- Patient: means an individual who is receiving or who has received inpatient medical care in a hospital. See Iowa Code 144F.1
2. The inability of a hospital to consult with a patient’s lay caregiver shall not interfere with, delay, or otherwise affect the medical care provided to the patient or the patient’s discharge.