# Plain Language Summary: No Patient Left Alone Act of 2023

During the COVID-19 pandemic, many hospitals restricted visitors, leaving patients isolated from family and friends during some of the most difficult moments of their lives. This bill aims to prevent that from happening again by making it a formal requirement that hospitals allow patients to have visitors. Specifically, the law would apply to hospitals that receive Medicare funding (which is most hospitals in the country), requiring them to have clear written policies about visitation rights and making sure patients know they can have the people they care about visit them.

The bill requires hospitals to inform patients about their right to choose their own visitors—whether that's a spouse, family member, or friend—and to allow patients to change their minds about who can visit at any time. Hospitals would still be allowed to put temporary restrictions on visitors if there's a genuine medical reason (for example, if a patient is in an isolation unit due to a contagious infection), but they'd have to explain those restrictions in writing and document why they're necessary. The key protection is that hospitals cannot deny visitation based on someone's race, religion, sex, disability, or other protected characteristics. Everyone's visitors must be treated equally and have the same access rights.

This change matters most for vulnerable patients—elderly people, those with serious illnesses, people with disabilities, and others who might be isolated without this protection. It also protects LGBTQ+ patients and others whose chosen family might not be biological relatives, ensuring they can designate whoever they want as their support system during hospitalization. While hospitals retain the ability to manage safety and medical concerns, the law essentially codifies into federal requirements what many people consider basic human dignity: the right not to face a medical crisis alone.

No Patient Left Alone Act of 2023

Rep. Van Drew, Jefferson [R-NJ-2]

No Patient Left Alone Act of 2023 This bill requires hospitals, as a condition of Medicare participation, to have certain written policies and procedures that provide for patient visitation rights and to inform patients of such rights, including any applicable restrictions.