HB 677: Health; certain placement procedures for children upon discharge from a hospital or psychiatric residential treatment facility; provide

Under current Georgia law, there is no specific statewide procedure for what happens when a child finishes psychiatric treatment at a hospital or residential facility but their parent, guardian, or legal custodian does not come to take custody of them. HB677 adds a new section to Georgia's health code (O.C.G.A. § 31-1-26) addressing this gap for children who are not already in state custody through the Division of Family and Children Services. If a parent, guardian, or legal custodian fails to pick up a child within 48 hours of a doctor's discharge order following psychiatric care or acute psychiatric care, the hospital or facility must assemble a task force. That group includes a care coordinator, the child's treating psychiatrist (or the facility's medical director if the psychiatrist is unavailable), and, when relevant, representatives from the Department of Human Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, the child's health insurer, and the child's Medicaid care management organization. The task force must meet promptly to find an appropriate medical or community placement. The bill also requires monthly reporting to a state behavioral health committee and an annual report to legislative appropriations committees.

• Creates a new legal requirement for 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.
• Directs the task force to meet without delay to find an appropriate medical or community placement for the child.
• Requires task forces to report information monthly to the Multi-Agency Treatment for Children (MATCH) Committee within the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities.
• Requires the department to submit an annual report to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees on the number of affected children and their length of stay.

Hospitals and psychiatric residential treatment facilities, children receiving psychiatric or acute psychiatric care whose parents or guardians do not retrieve them after discharge, treating psychiatrists and medical directors, the Department of Human Services, the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities, health insurers, and Medicaid care management organizations.

Children who are medically ready for discharge but not picked up by a parent or guardian can otherwise remain in a hospital or treatment facility with no clear process for finding them a next placement. This bill creates a structured, time-bound response involving clinical staff, state agencies, and insurers to move the child into appropriate care.

• Section 1 adds new 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 only to children not already in Department of Human Services custody through the Division of Children and Family Services.
• Section 1(b)(1) requires assembly of a task force when a parent, guardian, or legal custodian fails to take physical custody within 48 hours of a physician's discharge order.
• 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 by task forces to the MATCH Committee and an annual report from the Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Disabilities to the House and Senate Appropriations Committees by December 31 of the year following the law's effective date.
• Section 3 repeals conflicting laws.

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

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

1. AprobadaVotación: Cámara de Representantes6 de marzo de 2025

   173 a favor, 1 en contra (1 sin votar, 5 ausentes)

   Passage: House Vote #250

• child psychiatric care
• hospital discharge procedures
• behavioral health policy
• foster care and custody
• health insurance coordination