Kansas2026Passed Legislature
HB2002
Auditing Hospital Rules for Family Caregivers
Last scannedAug 24, 2026, 9:52 AM
In one sentence
This bill requires the Department of Health and Environment to check if hospitals follow rules about helping patients choose family members or friends to care for them after leaving the hospital.
What it does
- Requires the department to audit how well hospitals follow the Lay Caregiver Act starting in 2026.
- Orders the department to send a report of these audits to state lawmakers by January 31 each year.
- Defines who counts as a caregiver, such as family members or friends aged 16 and older with a significant relationship to the patient.
- Sets rules for hospitals to let patients pick a caregiver before they leave the hospital.
- Requires hospitals to teach caregivers how to help with patient care after discharge.
Who it affects
- Hospitals in Kansas
- The Department of Health and Environment
- Patients staying in hospitals for overnight care
- Family members or friends designated as caregivers
Limits and unknowns
- This bill does not force anyone to accept being a caregiver.
- Hospitals do not have to delay sending a patient home if they cannot reach the chosen caregiver.
- The text states this act creates no new legal right for patients or caregivers to sue hospitals.
Plain language
Terms to know
- Lay Caregiver Act
- A law that lets patients choose non-professional helpers to assist them after leaving the hospital.
- Aftercare
- Help given by a caregiver at home for conditions related to why the patient was in the hospital, which does not require a professional license.
- Discharge
- The time when a patient leaves the hospital to go home or another location after staying overnight.
Official record
Sources
Official summary
Requiring the department of health and environment to audit hospital compliance with the lay caregiver act and report the results of such audit to the legislature.
Official activity
Bill history
- Died in CommitteeHouse
- Referred to House Committee on Health and Human ServicesHouse
- IntroducedHouse
- Prefiled for Introduction on Friday, January 10, 2025House