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This year’s Louisiana legislative session concluded on June 1, 2026. As a result of the session, the Louisiana Department of Health (LDH) estimates approximately forty health-related bills have passed and will become law. One of these bills has significant documentation implications for nursing homes, assisted living facilities, and licensed residential care settings providing inpatient care to residents receiving hospice services. 

Senate Bill 273 was introduced by Senator Mark Abraham with the intent to reduce potential confusion regarding accountability, communication, and care coordination amongst multiple providers sharing responsibility for hospice patients receiving services in a licensed facility other than an inpatient hospice facility. The bill goes on to state that there must be additional provisions in these facilities to protect hospice patients from neglect, miscommunication, or loss of continuity of care, especially when patients are transferred between one or more licensed facilities. Louisiana Act 480 specifies that hospice residents shall have the right to comfort-focused care consistent with medical judgment, respectful communication among providers and families, and a clear explanation of care decisions affecting hydration, nutrition or visitation. 

While facilities are accustomed to being required to retain a copy of hospice care plans and service logs in the facility, this Act raises the bar on the documentation requirements of the facility housing the resident. There are four new areas of requirements in housing these residents that providers will need to formulate policies and procedures to meet the new standards of this law:

1. Admission/Readmission: A care plan must be formulated within 24 hours of admission identifying ALL of the following, at minimum: The patient’s hospice provider, the provider that controls medical orders, the provider responsible for daily hydration, nutrition, and routine care, and the authorized point of contact for the patient’s family or patient’s representative. Additionally, the care plan must be made available to the patient, family, and/or representative upon request.
2. Transfers: The Act states that if a hospice patient is transferred or relocated from one facility to another, the transferring facility must notify the patient’s hospice provider and family/representative as soon as practicable. This is nothing new for most providers. However, what is new is that this notification now must include the patient’s current care plan and a notice that a new care plan shall be developed within 24 hours of transferring to the receiving facility.
   
   The first two requirements also have new reporting guidelines associated with failure to comply. Failure to formulate the care plan within 24 hours of admission or failure to notify the family/representative is now a reportable event. Failure to notify is reportable by the transferring facility and failure to formulate the care plan is reportable by the receiving facility. While no specific reporting timelines are included in the Act, facilities should consult LDH for guidance on compliance.
3. Every facility with a patient receiving hospice care shall maintain a detailed patient log* of all of the following: 
    (a) Any offer of food and fluid. 
    (b) Patient acceptance or refusal of the offer of food and fluid. 
    (c) The provider issuing a directive or order and his clinical justification for hydration or nutrition being withheld from a hospice patient.
   *The patient log shall be made available to the patient's hospice provider and to the patient's family or patient's authorized representative, upon request.
4. A facility shall not retaliate against or restrict access to a patient's family or patient's authorized representative because concerns were raised regarding patient care. 
   (a) Any facility restriction on visitation or access to a hospice patient shall be ordered by a provider who is identified, clinically justified, documented in writing, and communicated to the patient's family or patient's authorized representative prior to the restriction being implemented.

The new law concludes with the following language, “If the Louisiana Department of Health receives a complaint alleging a violation of this Section, the department may conduct a complaint survey that may include a review of the facility's care plans. The provider shall issue a plan of correction to any deficiencies cited by the department. The department may issue directed plans of correction or assess administrative penalties as determined by the department.”

This Act became law effective August 1, 2026, and is now enforceable by LDH. Facilities will need to develop policies, procedures, documentation forms and provide education for staff to achieve compliance with these new requirements. The enrolled Act 480 can be found here.

In addition to this law, there are other new laws from this legislative session which may be of interest to our Louisiana long-term care providers. LAMMICO encourages you to review Act 473, Act 120, and Act 896. 

For additional information or resources, please reach out to Emily Jones, Senior Long-Term Care Facility Specialist at 504.841.2733 or ejones@lammico.com.