Hospitals and Urgent Care Centers - Sepsis Protocol (Lochlin's Law)

This bill mandates that all Maryland hospitals and urgent care centers adopt a standardized protocol by January 1, 2025, to improve the early detection and treatment of sepsis. The required plan must follow Centers for Disease Control guidelines and include specific steps for screening, administering antibiotics, and providing fluid support for both adults and children. Facilities are also required to provide regular training to relevant staff members and use the protocol to track their own quality of care. Specialty psychiatric hospitals must establish a separate process to screen for sepsis and transfer affected patients to appropriate care settings. Hospitals that already submit sepsis data to federal reporting programs are presumed to be in compliance with these new requirements.