HB677: HB677 Health; certain placement procedures for children upon discharge from a hospital or psychiatric residential treatment facility; provide

When a child receives psychiatric care at a Georgia hospital or psychiatric residential treatment facility and a doctor orders their discharge, there is currently no statewide requirement dictating what happens if the child's parent, guardian, or legal custodian does not come to take physical custody of them. This bill adds a new section to Georgia's health code (O.C.G.A. § 31-1-26) addressing that gap for children who are not already in state foster care custody. If a parent or guardian fails to pick up the child within 48 hours of the discharge order, the facility must assemble a task force made up of a care coordinator, the child's treating psychiatrist (or the facility's medical director if the psychiatrist is unavailable), and, when applicable, representatives from the Department of Human Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the child's health insurer, and their Medicaid care management organization. This task force must meet right away to find an appropriate medical or community placement for the child. The bill also requires monthly reporting to a state behavioral health committee and an annual report to legislative appropriations committees on how many children this affects and how long they stay.

• Adds a new Code section (O.C.G.A. § 31-1-26) requiring hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities to act when a discharged child is not picked up within 48 hours.
• Requires formation of a task force including a care coordinator, the treating psychiatrist or medical director, and relevant state agency or insurer representatives when applicable.
• Requires the task force to meet without delay to find an appropriate medical or community placement for the child.
• Requires each task force to submit monthly information to the Multi-Agency Treatment for Children (MATCH) Committee within the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
• Requires the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to report annually to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the number of affected children and their length of stay.
• Repeals any conflicting Georgia laws.

Hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities in Georgia, children receiving psychiatric or acute psychiatric care who are not in state foster care custody, their parents or guardians, care coordinators, treating psychiatrists, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, and children's health insurers and Medicaid care management organizations.

Children discharged from psychiatric care sometimes remain at a hospital or facility longer than medically necessary because no one arrives to take custody of them. This bill creates a formal, time-bound process to find these children a placement, and requires state tracking of how often this happens and how long the delays last.

• Section 1 adds O.C.G.A. § 31-1-26, defining 'acute psychiatric care' and 'health benefit policy' for purposes of the new procedures.
• Section 1(b) applies when a parent, guardian, or legal custodian fails to take physical custody of a child within 48 hours of a physician's discharge order, for children not already in Division of Family and Children Services custody.
• Section 1(b)(1) specifies the required task force membership, including agency and insurer representatives 'if applicable.'
• Section 1(b)(2) requires the task force to meet 'without delay' to determine an appropriate medical or community placement.
• Section 2 requires monthly reporting to the MATCH Committee and an annual report by the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees, due by December 31 of the year following the Act's effective year.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

1. 2025-03-10Senate Read and Referred (Senate)
2. 2025-03-06House Passed/Adopted By Substitute (House)
3. 2025-03-06House Third Readers (House)
4. 2025-03-03House Committee Favorably Reported By Substitute (House)
5. 2025-02-28House Second Readers (House)
6. 2025-02-27House First Readers (House)
7. 2025-02-27House Hopper (House)

• Katie Dempsey (R, HD-013)Primary sponsor
• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)
• Lee Hawkins (R, HD-027)
• James Hatchett (R, HD-155)
• Mary Oliver (D, HD-084)

1. PassedHouse voteMarch 6, 2025

   173 yea, 1 nay (1 not voting, 5 absent)

   Passage: House Vote #250

• child psychiatric care
• hospital discharge
• behavioral health
• child welfare
• health policy