Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:52.3 – Noncontested admission
Terms Used In Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:52.3
- Addictive disorder: is a primary, chronic neurobiologic disease with genetic, psychosocial, and environmental factors influencing its development and manifestations. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- administrator: means a person in charge of a treatment facility or his deputy. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- Diagnosis: means the art and science of determining the presence of disease in an individual and distinguishing one disease from another. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- Patient: means any person detained and taken care of as a person who has a mental illness or person who is suffering from a substance-related or addictive disorder. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- person: includes a body of persons, whether incorporated or not. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 1:10
- Person who has a mental illness: means any person with a psychiatric disorder which has substantial adverse effects on his ability to function and who requires care and treatment. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- Physician: means an individual licensed to practice medicine by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners in active practice or an individual in a post-graduate medical training program of an accredited medical school in Louisiana or a medical officer similarly qualified by the government of the United States while in the state in the performance of his official duties. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- Psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner: means an advanced practice registered nurse licensed to practice as a nurse practitioner or clinical nurse specialist by the Louisiana State Board of Nursing, in accordance with the provisions of Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- Treatment: means an active effort to accomplish an improvement in the mental condition or behavior of a patient or to prevent deterioration in his condition or behavior. See Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
- Treatment facility: includes but is not limited to the following, and shall be selected with consideration of first, medical suitability; second, least restriction of the person's liberty; third, nearness to the patient's usual residence; fourth, financial or other status of the patient; and fifth, patient's expressed preference, except that such considerations shall not apply to forensic facilities:
(i) Public and private behavioral health services providers licensed pursuant to Louisiana Revised Statutes 28:2
A. A person who has a mental illness or person who is suffering from a substance-related or addictive disorder who does not have the capacity to make a knowing and voluntary consent to a voluntary admission status and who does not object to his admission to a treatment facility may be admitted to a treatment facility as a noncontested admission. Such person shall be subject to the same rules and regulations as a person admitted on a voluntary admission status and his treatment shall be governed by the provisions of La. Rev. Stat. 28:52(H).
B. A noncontested admission may be made by a physician or psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner who is acting in accordance with a collaborative practice agreement to a treatment facility in order to initiate a complete diagnostic and evaluative study. The diagnosis and evaluation shall include complete medical, social, and psychological studies and, when medically indicated, any other scientific study which may be necessary in order to make decisions relative to the treatment needs of the patient. In the absence of specified medical reasons, the diagnostic studies shall be completed in fourteen days. Alternative community-based services shall be thoroughly considered.
C. Following a review of the diagnostic evaluation study, the director or administrator of the treatment facility shall determine if the person is to remain on noncontested status, is to be discharged, is to be converted to formal voluntary status, or is to be involuntarily hospitalized pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 28:53 or La. Rev. Stat. 28:54. Nothing in this Section shall be interpreted to prohibit the director of a treatment facility from transferring the patient to another treatment facility when it is medically indicated.
D. A person admitted pursuant to this Section may object to his admission at any time. If the person informs a staff member of his desire to object to his admission, a staff member shall assist him in preparing and submitting a valid written objection to the director or administrator of the treatment facility. Upon receipt of a valid objection, the director or administrator shall release the person within seventy-two hours unless proceedings are instituted pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 28:53 or La. Rev. Stat. 28:54.
E. In no case shall a patient remain on noncontested status longer than three months. Within that time, the patient must be converted to a formal voluntary status, be involuntarily hospitalized pursuant to La. Rev. Stat. 28:53 or La. Rev. Stat. 28:54, or be discharged.
Added by Acts 1977, No. 714, §1. Amended by Acts 1978, No. 782, §1, eff. July 17, 1978; Acts 2012, No. 418, §1; Acts 2017, No. 369, §2; Acts 2021, No. 373, §1.