S.B. No. 124 introduces a new subchapter to the Health and Safety Code that establishes comprehensive rights for hospital patients, requiring hospitals to adopt a written patients' rights policy. This policy must ensure that patients receive considerate care, have the right to choose their physician, unrestricted visitation, and access to investigational treatments, among other rights. The bill emphasizes informed treatment decisions and mandates clear communication regarding patients' rights, including privacy and access to medical records. It also imposes a $1,000 administrative penalty for each violation of the new subchapter, with each day a violation continues being treated as a separate offense.

The bill further amends the Health and Safety Code to clarify exemptions for certain facilities and tasks the executive commissioner with adopting a "patient's bill of rights" that includes rights from various relevant chapters. It mandates the creation of a "children's bill of rights" for minors in child-care facilities and repeals certain sections of the Health and Safety Code. Additionally, hospitals are given until January 1, 2026, to comply with the new provisions, and the bill will take effect immediately if it receives a two-thirds vote from both houses; otherwise, it will become effective on September 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: Health and Safety Code 164.009, Health and Safety Code 241.004, Health and Safety Code 321.002 (Health and Safety Code 164, Health and Safety Code 321, Health and Safety Code 241)