Discharge planning — Certain policies and criteria not required.
RCW 70.41.324
in effectRCW 70.41.322 does not require a hospital to adopt discharge policies or criteria that: (1) Delay a patient's discharge or transfer to another facility or to home; or (2) Require the disclosure of protected health information to a lay caregiver without obtaining a patient's consent as required by state and federal laws governing health information privacy and security, including chapter 70.02 RCW and the federal health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996 and related regulations.
RCW 70.41.322 does not require a hospital to adopt discharge policies or criteria that:
(1) Delay a patient's discharge or transfer to another facility or to home; or
(2) Require the disclosure of protected health information to a lay caregiver without obtaining a patient's consent as required by state and federal laws governing health information privacy and security, including chapter 70.02 RCW and the federal health insurance portability and accountability act of 1996 and related regulations.
Source: WA Statutes (Official Site)URL: https://app.leg.wa.gov/RCW/default.aspx?cite=70.41&full=trueFetched: 6/29/2026