Health Care Facilities - Rights of Comprehensive and Extended Care Facility Residents - Hospice Comfort Care

HB 828 modifies Maryland law to allow comprehensive and extended care facilities to use specific physical restraints (like bed rails or geri chairs) and certain medications (sedatives or anti-anxiety drugs) for residents receiving hospice care, under a prescriber's order. This exception applies only to hospice patients and overrides the general prohibition against such restraints for other residents. The bill amends existing law (Section 19-343(b)(viii) of the Maryland Health Code) to explicitly permit these measures when authorized for hospice care. It directly affects hospice patients in care facilities and their providers, ensuring these tools can be used for comfort during end-of-life care. The change takes effect October 1, 2025.