(

a) Before the discharge from an acute care hospital of a Medi-Cal beneficiary diagnosed with a terminal illness, the hospital’s designated case manager or discharge planner shall evaluate the patient’s likely need for posthospital services and their ability to access those services. For patients anticipated to need in-home personal care, the hospital case manager or discharge planner shall ask the patient, or another person authorized to make health care decisions for the patient, if they are interested in receiving information about the in-home supportive services (IHSS) program (Article 7 (commencing with

Section 12300) of

Chapter of Part of Division of the Welfare and Institutions Code). If the patient or authorized person expresses interest in receiving the IHSS information, the hospital case manager or discharge planner shall provide to the patient or authorized person the information, including how to initiate the application process and the option for a family member to provide care as an IHSS provider subject to the IHSS provider enrollment conditions set forth in that article. (

b) If the patient seeks to apply for services under the IHSS program, the hospital case manager or discharge planner shall, as appropriate, communicate to the patient’s primary care physician the patient’s interest in applying for IHSS to support the timely completion of the health care certification form (SOC or its successor), as described in

Section 12309.1 of the Welfare and Institutions Code.