EXPLANATION: CAPITALS INDICATE MAT TER ADDED TO EXISTIN G LAW.
[Brackets] indicate matter deleted from existing law.
*sb0332*
SENATE BILL 332
J3, J1 4lr1623
CF HB 84
By: Senators Lewis Young and Guzzone
Introduced and read first time: January 12, 2024
Assigned to: Finance
A BILL ENTITLED
AN ACT concerning 1
Hospitals and Urgent Care Centers – Sepsis Protocol 2
(Lochlin’s Law) 3
FOR the purpose of requiring, on or before a certain date, each hospital and urgent care 4
center in the State to implement a certain protocol for the early recognition and 5
treatment of a patient with sepsis, severe sepsis, or septic shock; requiring hospitals 6
and urgent care centers to require periodic training in the implementation of the 7
protocol for certain staff; and generally relating to sepsis protocols in hospitals and 8
urgent care centers. 9
BY adding to 10
Article – Health – General 11
Section 19–310.4 12
Annotated Code of Maryland 13
(2023 Replacement Volume) 14
SECTION 1. BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF MARYLAND, 15
That the Laws of Maryland read as follows: 16
Article – Health – General 17
19–310.4. 18
(A) (1) ON OR BEFORE JANUARY 1, 2025, EACH HOSPITAL AND UR GENT 19
CARE CENTER IN THE STATE SHALL IMPLEMENT AN EVIDENCE–BASED PROTOCOL 20
FOR THE EARLY RECOGN ITION AND TREATMENT OF A PATIENT WITH SE PSIS, SEVERE 21
SEPSIS, OR SEPTIC SHOCK THAT IS BASED ON GENERALL Y ACCEPTABLE STANDAR DS 22
OF CARE. 23
(2) THE PROTOCOL SHALL : 24 2 SENATE BILL 332
(I) INCLUDE COMPONENTS SP ECIFIC TO THE IDENTI FICATION, 1
CARE, AND TREATMENT OF ADU LTS AND CHILDREN ; AND 2
(II) FOR A HOSPITAL , CLEARLY IDENTIFY WHERE AND WHEN 3
THE COMPONENTS WILL DIFFER FOR ADULTS AN D CHILDREN SEEKING T REATMENT 4
IN THE EMERGENCY DEP ARTMENT OR AS AN INP ATIENT. 5
(3) THE COMPONENTS REQUIR ED UNDER PARAGRAPH (2) OF THIS 6
SUBSECTION SHALL INC LUDE: 7
(I) A PROCESS FOR THE SCRE ENING AND EARLY RECOGNITION 8
OF A PATIENT WITH SE PSIS, SEVERE SEPSIS, OR SEPTIC SHOCK ; 9
(II) A PROCESS TO IDENTIFY AND DOCUMENT INDIVID UALS 10
APPROPRIATE FOR TREA TMENT THROUGH SEPSIS PROTOCOLS, INCLUDING 11
EXPLICIT CRITERIA DE FINING WHICH PATIENT S SHOULD BE EXCLUDED FROM THE 12
PROTOCOL, SUCH AS A PATIENT WI TH CERTAIN CLINICAL CONDITIONS OR A PATI ENT 13
WHO HAS CHOSEN PALLI ATIVE CARE; 14
(III) GUIDELINES FOR HEMODY NAMIC SUPPORT WITH E XPLICIT 15
PHYSIOLOGIC AND TREA TMENT GOALS , METHODOLOGY FOR INVA SIVE OR 16
NONINVASIVE HEMODYNA MIC MONITORING , AND TIME FRAME GOALS ; 17
(IV) FOR INFANTS AND CHILD REN, GUIDELINES FOR FLUID 18
RESUSCITATION CONSIS TENT WITH CURRENT , EVIDENCE–BASED GUIDELINES FOR 19
SEVERE SEPSIS AND SE PTIC SHOCK WITH DEFI NED THERAPEUTIC GOAL S FOR 20
CHILDREN; 21
(V) IDENTIFICATION OF THE INFECTI OUS SOURCE AND 22
DELIVERY OF EARLY BR OAD–SPECTRUM ANTIBIOTICS WITH TIMELY REEVALUA TION 23
TO ADJUST TO NARROW –SPECTRUM ANTIBIOTICS TARGETED TO IDENTIFI ED 24
INFECTIOUS SOURCES ; AND 25
(VI) CRITERIA FOR USE , BASED ON ACCEPTED EV IDENCE OF 26
VASOACTIVE AGENTS . 27
(B) A HOSPITAL THAT SUBMIT S SEPSIS DATA TO THE CENTERS FOR 28
MEDICARE AND MEDICAID SERVICES HOSPITAL INPATIENT QUALITY REPORTING 29
PROGRAM IS PRESUMED T O MEET THE REQUIREME NTS OF SUBSECTION (A) OF THIS 30
SECTION. 31
(C) EACH HOSPITAL AND URG ENT CARE CENTER SHAL L: 32 SENATE BILL 332 3
(1) REQUIRE PERIODIC TRAI NING IN THE IMPLEMEN TATION OF THE 1
SEPSIS PROTOCOL REQU IRED UNDER SUBSECTIO N (A) OF THIS SECTION FOR 2
PROFESSIONAL STAFF W ITH DIRECT PATIENT C ARE RESPONSIBILIT IES AND, AS 3
APPROPRIATE , FOR STAFF WITH INDIR ECT PATIENT CARE RES PONSIBILITIES, 4
INCLUDING LABORATORY AND PHARMACY STAFF ; AND 5
(2) ENSURE THAT THE STAFF RECEIVE UPDATED TRAI NING IF THE 6
HOSPITAL OR URGENT C ARE CENTER MAKES A S UBSTANTIVE CHANGE TO THE 7
SEPSIS PROTOCOL. 8
(D) EACH HOSPITAL AND URG ENT CARE CENTER SHAL L COLLECT AND USE 9
QUALITY MEASURES REL ATED TO THE RECOGNIT ION AND TREATMENT OF SEVERE 10
SEPSIS FOR THE PURPO SE OF INTERNAL QUALI TY IMPROVEMENT . 11
(E) ON REQUEST , A HOSPITAL OR AN URG ENT CARE CENTER S HALL 12
PROVIDE THE PROTOCOL REQUIRED UNDER SUBSE CTION (A) OF THIS SECTION TO 13
THE DEPARTMENT . 14
SECTION 2. AND BE IT FURTHER ENACTED, That this Act shall take effect 15
October 1, 2024. 16