Bill Text: NY A06708 | 2009-2010 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Requires certain requirements for hospital discharge plans; requires that a standard form be used for discharges, with information pertaining to what to expect during a normal course of recovery (color coded in GREEN), what symptoms should prompt calling the physician (color coded in YELLOW), and what symptoms should prompt seeking emergency medical care (color coded in RED).

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2010-01-06 - referred to health [A06708 Detail]

Download: New_York-2009-A06708-Introduced.html

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                           S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
       ________________________________________________________________________
                                         6708
                              2009-2010 Regular Sessions
                                 I N  A S S E M B L Y
                                    March 11, 2009
                                      ___________
       Introduced by M. of A. MILLER -- read once and referred to the Committee
         on Health
       AN  ACT  to  amend  the  public  health law, in relation to establishing
         certain requirements for hospital discharge plans
         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  2803-s to read as follows:
    3    S 2803-S. GENERAL HOSPITAL DISCHARGE  FORM.  1.  IN  ADDITION  TO  THE
    4  REQUIREMENTS  FOR  THE DISCHARGE OF A PATIENT SET FORTH IN SECTION TWEN-
    5  TY-EIGHT HUNDRED THREE-I OF THIS  ARTICLE  OR  IN  ANY  OTHER  LAW,  THE
    6  REQUIREMENTS SET FORTH IN THIS SECTION SHALL APPLY TO ALL IN-PATIENT AND
    7  OUT-PATIENT DISCHARGES. THE PURPOSE OF THIS SECTION IS TO RECOGNIZE THAT
    8  RECOVERY  MAY  CONTINUE FOLLOWING DISCHARGE AND TO ADEQUATELY INFORM THE
    9  PATIENT AS TO WHAT TO EXPECT DURING SUCH  TIME  TO  ENSURE  THAT  PROPER
   10  PRECAUTIONS ARE TAKEN IN ALL STAGES OF RECOVERY.
   11    2.  UPON DISCHARGE, A GENERAL HOSPITAL MUST PROVIDE THE PATIENT WITH A
   12  DISCHARGE FORM WHICH CLEARLY AND CONCISELY INDICATES TO THE PATIENT WHEN
   13  IT IS NECESSARY THAT HE OR SHE  SEEK  FURTHER  MEDICAL  ATTENTION.  SUCH
   14  DISCHARGE FORM SHALL PROVIDE THE PATIENT WITH THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION,
   15  STRUCTURED  ACCORDING  TO  THREE  LEVELS OF SEVERITY NOTED  BY COLOR, AS
   16  INDICATED:
   17    (A) WHAT TO EXPECT DURING THE NORMAL COURSE OF RECOVERY (GREEN);
   18    (B) WHAT SYMPTOMS OR COMBINATION OF SYMPTOMS NECESSITATE HE OR SHE  TO
   19  CALL HIS OR HER PHYSICIAN (YELLOW);
   20    (C)  WHAT SYMPTOMS OR COMBINATION OF SYMPTOMS NECESSITATE HE OR SHE TO
   21  SEEK EMERGENCY CARE (RED).
   22    3. WITHIN NINETY DAYS OF THE  EFFECTIVE  DATE  OF  THIS  SECTION,  THE
   23  COMMISSIONER  IN  CONSULTATION WITH THE COUNCIL SHALL ESTABLISH BY REGU-
   24  LATION, A STANDARD DISCHARGE FORM OR FORMS TO FULFILL  THE  REQUIREMENTS
   25  SET  FORTH  IN  SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION. SUCH STANDARD DISCHARGE
        EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                             [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                  LBD09649-01-9
       A. 6708                             2
    1  FORM OR FORMS MAY BE USED BY ANY GENERAL HOSPITAL FOR THE  DISCHARGE  OF
    2  PATIENTS UNDERGOING SERIOUS IN-PATIENT AND OUT-PATIENT PROCEDURES.
    3    4.  IN  ORDER TO ENSURE CONSISTENCY IN DISCHARGE PROCEDURES THROUGHOUT
    4  THE STATE, THE COMMISSIONER  IN  CONSULTATION  WITH  THE  COUNCIL  SHALL
    5  DEVELOP  ADDITIONAL STANDARD DISCHARGE FORMS WHICH SHALL BE TAILORED FOR
    6  SPECIFIC MEDICAL PROCEDURES UNDERGONE BY PATIENTS. THE COUNCIL IS HEREBY
    7  DIRECTED TO DEVELOP OR ADOPT A COMPUTER PROGRAM TO FULFILL THE  REQUIRE-
    8  MENTS OF THIS SUBDIVISION.
    9    5.  A  DISCHARGE  FORM  PROVIDED TO A PATIENT PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION
   10  SHALL BE APPROVED AND SIGNED BY THE PHYSICIAN WHO TREATED SUCH  PATIENT.
   11  ANY  HOSPITAL  STAFF  MEMBER  DIRECTED  TO  VISIT  THE PATIENT FOLLOWING
   12  DISCHARGE, INCLUDING BUT NOT  LIMITED  TO  A  NURSE,  CERTIFIED  NURSE'S
   13  ASSISTANT,  OR PHYSICAL THERAPIST, SHALL ALSO SIGN THE DISCHARGE FORM TO
   14  INDICATE HE OR SHE UNDERSTANDS  THE  MEDICAL  INFORMATION  THEREIN.  THE
   15  PATIENT, OR IF HE OR SHE IS BEING DISCHARGED TO A FAMILY MEMBER THEN THE
   16  FAMILY  MEMBER  SHALL ALSO SIGN THE DISCHARGE FORM TO INDICATE HE OR SHE
   17  UNDERSTANDS THE DIRECTIONS THEREIN.
   18    6. NO CAUSE OF ACTION SHALL RESULT FROM THE OMISSION OF INFORMATION ON
   19  A STANDARD DISCHARGE FORM PROVIDED TO A PATIENT PURSUANT TO THIS SECTION
   20  WHERE THE PHYSICIAN EXERCISED HIS OR HER REASONABLE  PROFESSIONAL  JUDG-
   21  MENT IN OMITTING SUCH INFORMATION.
   22    S  2.  This  act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall
   23  have become a law. The commissioner of health  is  authorized  to  imme-
   24  diately  promulgate any rules and regulations necessary to implement the
   25  purposes of this act on or before such effective date.