Bill Text: NY A05587 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Establishes the office of hospice and palliative care access and quality to provide expertise and input on hospice and palliative care policy development and regulation.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Democrat 9-2)

Status: (Vetoed) 2023-11-17 - tabled [A05587 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A05587-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          5587

                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                     March 16, 2023
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by M. of A. WALLACE -- read once and referred to the Commit-
          tee on Health

        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to  establishing  the
          office of hospice and palliative care access and quality

          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  4003 to read as follows:
     3    § 4003. Director of hospice and palliative care access and quality. 1.
     4  The  office  of hospice and palliative care access and quality is hereby
     5  created within the department. The commissioner shall appoint a director
     6  of the office and may employ such assistants and personnel as are neces-
     7  sary to carry out the provisions of this article.
     8    2. The office shall have the following powers and duties:
     9    (a) to provide expertise and input  on  hospice  and  palliative  care
    10  policy development and regulation;
    11    (b)  to  ensure  hospice  and  palliative care providers, workers, and
    12  patients are considered  when  new  policy  or  regulatory  changes  are
    13  contemplated, developed or implemented;
    14    (c) to develop recommendations to improve patient care for individuals
    15  with chronic or life-limiting illnesses;
    16    (d) to facilitate communication between the department and hospice and
    17  palliative care providers;
    18    (e)  to  raise  awareness  and  access  to hospice and palliative care
    19  services;
    20    (f) to identify and eliminate barriers to such services;
    21    (g) to support models of care and service delivery that  would  assist
    22  in increasing utilization of hospice and palliative care services;
    23    (h)  to  work  to  develop and promote innovative health care delivery
    24  models for hospice and palliative care services;

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01248-01-3
        A. 5587                             2

     1    (i) to establish  and  monitor  quality  and  utilization  metrics  to
     2  promote increased access to high-quality end-of-life care;
     3    (j)  to  support  community-wide efforts to promote advance care plan-
     4  ning;
     5    (k) to work in collaboration with the state palliative care  education
     6  and training council, centers for palliative care excellence, and palli-
     7  ative  care practitioner resource centers, to assist in providing educa-
     8  tion on hospice and  palliative  care  to  state,  regional,  and  local
     9  personnel;
    10    (l) to ensure equitable access to hospice and palliative care services
    11  by underrepresented communities across New York state.
    12    3. The commissioner, in conjunction with the director appointed pursu-
    13  ant  to this section, shall prepare and submit a report to the governor,
    14  the temporary president of the senate and the speaker of  the  assembly,
    15  and  post  such report on the department's website, by no later than two
    16  years following the effective date of this act and annually  thereafter,
    17  outlining  the  activities  of  the  office established pursuant to this
    18  section, and recommendations on matters within the scope of  the  direc-
    19  tor's duties as set forth in this section.
    20    § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
    21  it  shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
    22  ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
    23  tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be  made  and
    24  completed on or before such effective date.