If a loved one dies in the hospital, can I bring them home?

As I understand it, yes, but you're going to hit some roadblocks due to lack of familiarity by officials with the laws in your area, as this is not a common practice. This is how hospitals present the situation to families: “We need to know what funeral provider you want to use so that we can release your loved one to them.” They don't ask, “do you want to use a funeral home?” It's just automatic that you're going to use a funeral home. A family transporting their loved one from a hospital just doesn't happen often enough that Administrators are going to know what to do. You'll want to be prepared to challenge who you inquire with.