Bill
S 1520
Massachusetts law would guarantee a patient’s right to have a designated support person with them 24/7 during care, with temporary access restrictions only for surgeries or emergen
Note on source materials
- The materials provided for S 1520 contain conflicting information. The bill title and some metadata refer to county reimbursement for child‑welfare document management software, while the full bill text inserted here is a Massachusetts statutory amendment titled “An Act to protect a patient’s right to a support person at health care facilities.” This summary is based on the actual bill text supplied (the patient support‑person provision). The procedural history and sponsor lists in the packet also contain inconsistent dates and jurisdictions; those are noted below.
Purpose
- To amend Massachusetts law (chapter 111, section 70E) to create an explicit statutory right for a patient to have a person of their choosing serve as a support person during inpatient or outpatient care and consultations with health care providers.
Key provisions
- Adds subsection (p) to Section 70E of chapter 111 (MA General Laws).
- Right to choose a support person: Patients may designate a person to serve as a support person.
- Access and hours: The support person may be present with the patient 24 hours a day in patient‑accessible areas of the health care facility or provider’s office while the patient is receiving inpatient or outpatient treatment or consulting with their health care provider.
- Temporary restriction: A facility may temporarily restrict the presence of the support person during surgeries or emergency interventions.
- Vaccination prohibition: Health care facilities shall not require the support person to receive any vaccination as a condition for access to the patient.
Who would be affected
- Patients receiving inpatient or outpatient care in Massachusetts health care facilities or provider offices.
- Designated support persons (family, friends, advocates, interpreters, etc.).
- Hospitals, clinics, physician offices and other health care facilities — they would need to update visitation/support person policies and staff procedures.
- Potentially public health and facility infection‑control programs (because of the vaccination prohibition).
Procedural status (from provided record — contains inconsistencies)
- Bill text filed as Senate Docket No. 1318 (filed 1/16/2025) and introduced as S.1520 in the Massachusetts Senate.
- Committee referrals listed include Children and Families and Public Health; other entries reference Commerce, Science & Transportation (appears inconsistent with state jurisdiction).
- A hearing was scheduled (per record) for 07/10/2025.
- Because the provided legislative actions contain contradictory dates (e.g., “Introduced 4/29/2025” vs. docket filed 1/16/2025; “House concurred 2/27/2025” before some filings), consult the official legislative clerk or state legislature website to confirm current status.
Potential impacts and considerations
- Strengthens patient‑centered care and access to emotional/supportive presence.
- May conflict with infectious‑disease mitigation policies or emergency public‑health orders; the bill bars facilities from conditioning access on vaccination status, which could raise legal or public‑health implementation questions.
- Operational impacts on facilities: policy revision, security/credentialing, staff training, and managing temporary restrictions during certain procedures.
- Enforcement, penalties, or administrative oversight mechanisms are not specified in the text provided.
Related/administrative notes
- The packet lists related or prior bills (e.g., SD 1318, S 940, A 6067). Because of conflicting metadata, check the legislature’s official bill page for S.1520 to view amendments, committee reports, and final text.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
Sign in to ask a question.
