LANSING (WKZO-AM) — Gov. Rick Snyder has signed legislation sponsored by Sen. Margaret O’Brien, R-Portage.
The measures would require that hospitals provide designated caregivers with the basic information and skills they need to assist in the continued recovery of that patient. O’Brien said it will help patients, especially elderly patients, recover and prevent a relapse that might send them back to the hospital.
She said it also removes an obstacle to designating a caregiver who is not a relative. Releasing medical data to a non-relative could be viewed as a violation of the HIPAA requirements for privacy, but if a patient designates a caregiver in writing, that restriction is lifted.
The training could be anything from changing bandages to making sure the patient takes the right pills at the right time — all things that can be done without a healthcare license.
