(a) A resident or the resident's legally authorized representative (LAR), if the resident is unable, has the right to designate at least one essential caregiver.
(b) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must permit essential caregiver visits except as provided by subsection (i) of this section.
(c) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must develop a visitation policy that permits an essential caregiver to visit the resident for at least two hours each day.
(d) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must have procedures in place to enable physical contact between the resident and the essential caregiver.
(e) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must develop safety protocols for essential caregiver visits. The safety protocols may not be more stringent for essential caregivers than safety protocols for staff.
(f) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must obtain the signature of the essential caregiver certifying that the essential caregiver will follow the facility's safety protocols for essential caregiver visits.
(g) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit may revoke an essential caregiver designation if the caregiver violates the facility's safety protocols or rules adopted under this chapter.
(h) If a hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit revokes a person's designation as an essential caregiver under subsection (g) of this section:
  (1) the resident or the resident's LAR has the right to immediately designate another person as the essential caregiver;
  (2) within 24 hours after the revocation, the hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must inform the resident or the resident's LAR, in writing, of the right to appeal the revocation and the with the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) Appeals Division by:
    (A) email at OCC_Appeals_ContestedCases@hhs.texas.gov; or
    (B) mail at HHSC Appeals Division, P.O. Box 149030, MC W-613, Austin, TX 78714-9030; and
  (3) the hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must comply with a hearing officer's decision regarding an appeal of an essential caregiver revocation.
(i) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit may petition HHSC to suspend in-person essential caregiver visits for no more than seven consecutive calendar days if in-person visitation poses a serious community health risk. A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit may request an extension from HHSC to suspend in-person essential caregiver visitation beyond the hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit's original request, but HHSC may not approve an extension for a period that exceeds seven days and a hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit must separately request each extension. HHSC may deny the hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit's original request to suspend in-person essential caregiver visitation or the hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit's extension request if HHSC determines that in-person visitation does not pose a serious community health risk.
(j) A hospice agency operating a hospice inpatient unit may not suspend in-person essential caregiver visits in a calendar year for a time period that:
  (1) is more than 14 consecutive days; or
  (2) is more than a total of 45 days.

Source Note: The provisions of this §570.327 adopted to be effective June 1, 2022, 47 TexReg 3143