Bill Text: NY A00420 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced
NOTE: There are more recent revisions of this legislation. Read Latest Draft
Bill Title: Relates to requiring a medical facility or related service to obtain express prior written consent before filming and/or broadcasting of visual images of a patient's medical treatment.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-5)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - ordered to third reading cal.19 [A00420 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A00420-Introduced.html
Bill Title: Relates to requiring a medical facility or related service to obtain express prior written consent before filming and/or broadcasting of visual images of a patient's medical treatment.
Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 19-5)
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2020-01-08 - ordered to third reading cal.19 [A00420 Detail]
Download: New_York-2019-A00420-Introduced.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 420 2019-2020 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled) January 9, 2019 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. BRAUNSTEIN, MOSLEY, JAFFEE, M. G. MILLER, ARROYO, GOTTFRIED, ZEBROWSKI, COOK, MONTESANO, FINCH, SEAWRIGHT, FRIEND, GALEF, HEVESI, WEPRIN -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. McDONOUGH, PALMESANO, PEOPLES-STOKES, SCHIMMINGER, SIMON -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law and the civil rights law, in relation to prohibiting the making and/or broadcasting of visual images of individuals undergoing medical treatment without prior writ- ten consent The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2 2806-c to read as follows: 3 § 2806-c. Restrictions on broadcasting of patients. 1. Every patient 4 in a health care facility shall have the right to have privacy in treat- 5 ment and in caring for personal needs, including the broadcasting of the 6 recognizable image or speech of such patient involved in a health care 7 procedure in such facility, with the exception of broadcasting such 8 image or speech for the purposes of advancing the health care treatment 9 of the individual, a quality assurance program, the education or train- 10 ing of health care personnel, or necessary security purposes. 11 2. Such privacy in treatment shall include the obtaining by the health 12 care facility of express written consent on a separate document used 13 solely for such purpose from an individual receiving treatment in such 14 facility prior to broadcasting the recognizable image or speech of such 15 patient involved in such treatment. In the case of broadcasting the 16 recognizable image or speech for education or training of health care 17 personnel, the patient shall have the right to know of and shall have 18 the right to refuse the broadcasting for that purpose. A person legally 19 authorized to make health care decisions for the patient or otherwise EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD02693-01-9A. 420 2 1 authorized to consent may grant such consent or exercise such refusal if 2 the patient cannot reasonably do so due to such patient's incapacity. 3 3. For the purposes of this section: 4 (a) "health care facility" shall mean a residential health care facil- 5 ity, general hospital, free-standing ambulatory care facility, diagnos- 6 tic and/or treatment center and clinic authorized under this article, or 7 ambulance operated by an ambulance service as defined by subdivision two 8 of section three thousand one of this chapter or by a voluntary ambu- 9 lance service as defined by subdivision three of section three thousand 10 one of this chapter; 11 (b) "quality assurance" shall mean any evaluation of services provided 12 in or by a health care facility for purposes of improvement in safety, 13 quality or outcomes; 14 (c) "education or training of health care personnel" shall mean a 15 program of education or training of health care personnel or students 16 being educated or trained to be health care personnel, that the health 17 care facility has authorized; 18 (d) "broadcasting" of an image or speech shall mean transmission by 19 broadcast, cable, closed circuit, internet or other television or visual 20 medium, social media, or other system by which it can be viewed in 21 violation of the privacy rights and expectations of a patient. Provided 22 however, that broadcasting shall not include incidental transmission of 23 the image or speech of an individual being treated, transported or 24 otherwise cared for or attended to by an ambulance service as defined in 25 subdivision two of section three thousand one of this chapter or by a 26 voluntary ambulance service as defined in subdivision three of section 27 three thousand one of this chapter, at an ambulance response scene, 28 public area or during delivery or admission to a health care facility, 29 that is captured by news media, bystanders or others who do not have the 30 written consent of such ambulance service or voluntary ambulance 31 service. 32 4. Nothing in this section shall diminish or impair any right or reme- 33 dy otherwise applicable to any patient. 34 § 2. Section 50-c of the civil rights law, as amended by chapter 643 35 of the laws of 1999, is amended to read as follows: 36 § 50-c. Private right of action. 1. If the identity of the victim of 37 an offense defined in subdivision one of section fifty-b of this article 38 is disclosed in violation of such section, any person injured by such 39 disclosure may bring an action to recover damages suffered by reason of 40 such wrongful disclosure. In any action brought under this section, the 41 court may award reasonable [attorney's] attorneys' fees to a prevailing 42 plaintiff. 43 2. If the privacy of an individual as defined in section twenty-eight 44 hundred six-c of the public health law regarding the right to have 45 privacy in treatment and in caring for personal needs, including the 46 broadcasting of the recognizable image or speech of a patient involved 47 in a health care procedure in such a facility has been violated, such 48 individual or his or her estate representative may bring an action to 49 recover damages suffered by reason of such violation. In any action 50 brought under this section, the court may award reasonable attorneys' 51 fees to a prevailing plaintiff. The cause of action created herein shall 52 survive the death of such individual. 53 3. Nothing in this section shall diminish or impair any right or reme- 54 dy otherwise applicable to any patient. 55 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately.