The register is the institution’s memory
Police intimation, injury documentation, and the MLC register entry happen alongside care, not after it. When the case surfaces in court a year later, the contemporaneous register is what stands between the hospital and improvisation.
Billing an MLC is still billing
MLC status changes documentation, not payability. Insurance, scheme, or self-pay rails still apply — hospitals sometimes park MLC bills in limbo out of caution and simply lose them. The file bills normally with the legal trail attached.
| Item | Standard | Consequence / owner |
|---|---|---|
| Police intimation | Timed entry, receipt kept | ER, immediate |
| Injury record | Body chart + photographs where policy allows | ER doctor |
| MLC register | Contemporaneous, sequential | ER + records |
| Billing rail | Normal payer process continues | Billing |
| LAMA in MLC | Capacity + risks + witness | Treating doctor |
Discharge against advice, documented harder
MLC patients leaving against advice need the standard LAMA documentation with extra care: capacity noted, risks explained, signature or witnessed refusal. The five extra minutes is institutional protection.
What to do on Monday
- Audit register-versus-ER-log completeness monthly.
- Unpark any MLC bills sitting in limbo; bill the rail that applies.
- Refresh the LAMA-in-MLC form with a witness line.
Worked examples on this page are illustrative arithmetic on stated assumptions, not measured market statistics.