Last verified: October 2026
What does Maryland law require of assisted living referral services?
Anyone paid by an assisted living program to refer people must register with OHCQ, disclose all financial relationships with assisted living programs, refer only to licensed programs, may not refer only to programs that pay them, must report unlicensed operators, keep general liability insurance, background-check employees, describe their services in writing, keep medical information confidential and share it only with informed consent, and may not sell a client's personal data without consent. Complaints about referrers go to the Office of the Attorney General.
The rules come from Health-General 19-1813 (effective October 1, 2020) and SB 952 of 2024 (Chapter 839, effective October 1, 2024). OHCQ keeps a public list of registered referrers in its licensee directories.
Source: OHCQ: Assisted Living Referrers
How does Baltimore Senior Advisor follow the referrer law?
We are paid by assisted living programs when a family we refer moves in, we disclose that on every page, we refer only to programs on OHCQ's current licensee directory, and we share care details only with the family's informed consent and never sell personal data.
Our directory includes every licensed program, not only programs that pay us, and our advisors will discuss options that do not pay a fee. Maryland requires a referrer to be registered with OHCQ before making referrals; ask us for our registration details at any time.
What should a family ask any referral service in Maryland?
Ask whether it is registered with OHCQ, which programs pay it and how much, whether it will tell you about licensed programs that do not pay it, and how it stores and shares your parent's medical information.
A referrer may not request a referral fee from a program more than two years after the referral, must give you a written description of its services, and must put any financial agreement with you in writing. Complaints about referrers go to the Office of the Attorney General.
Is a referral service the same as a case manager?
No; a referral service is paid by programs, a private case manager is paid by you.
| Referral service | Private geriatric care manager |
|---|---|
| Free to families; paid by programs | Hourly fee paid by the family |
| Must register with OHCQ in Maryland | Professional license (often RN or social worker) |
| Focus on placement | Ongoing care coordination |
How can you check whether a referrer is registered?
OHCQ publishes a list of registered assisted living referrers among its licensee directories, alongside the assisted living program list.
Search it by the referrer's business name. If a service that is paid by assisted living programs is not on the list, ask why, and report concerns through OHCQ's referrer complaint form or to the Office of the Attorney General.
