Bill Text: NY A07689 | 2017-2018 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Prohibits certain practices concerning or consideration for referrals by providers of substance use disorder services.
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 20-0)
Status: (Passed) 2018-08-24 - signed chap.223 [A07689 Detail]
Download: New_York-2017-A07689-Amended.html
STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 7689--A 2017-2018 Regular Sessions IN ASSEMBLY May 9, 2017 ___________ Introduced by M. of A. L. ROSENTHAL, D'URSO, THIELE, SKOUFIS, CUSICK -- (at request of the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services) -- read once and referred to the Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse -- reported and referred to the Committee on Codes -- recommit- ted to the Committee on Codes in accordance with Assembly Rule 3, sec. 2 -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said committee AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to prohibited prac- tices by providers of substance use disorder services The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section 2 32.06 to read as follows: 3 § 32.06 Prohibited practices by providers of substance use disorder 4 services. 5 1. For purposes of this section, unless the context clearly requires 6 otherwise, "provider" shall mean any person, firm, partnership, group, 7 practice association, fiduciary, employer, representative thereof or any 8 other entity who is providing or purporting to provide substance use 9 disorder services. Provided, however, that "provider" shall not include 10 a person receiving substance use disorder services from the provider. 11 2. No provider shall intentionally solicit, receive, accept or agree 12 to receive or accept any payment, benefit or other consideration in any 13 form to the extent such payment, benefit or other consideration is given 14 for the referral of a person as a potential patient for substance use 15 disorder services. 16 3. No provider providing or purporting to provide substance use disor- 17 der services pursuant to this chapter, shall intentionally make, offer, 18 give, or agree to make, offer, or give any payment, benefit or other 19 consideration in any form to the extent such payment, benefit or other EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [] is old law to be omitted. LBD10119-04-8A. 7689--A 2 1 consideration is given for the referral of a person as a potential 2 patient for substance use disorder services. 3 4. This section shall not apply to any: 4 (a) lawful payments by a health maintenance organization or health 5 insurer, operating in accordance with article thirty-two or forty-three 6 of the insurance law or article forty-four of the public health law on 7 behalf of their enrollees for such substance use disorder services or 8 other benefits required to be provided; 9 (b) lawful payments to or by a provider to a health maintenance organ- 10 ization or health insurer operating in accordance with article thirty- 11 two or forty-three of the insurance law or article forty-four of the 12 public health law, as payment for services provided, a refund for an 13 overpayment, a participating provider fee, or any similar remuneration; 14 (c) provider for an activity that, at the time of such activity, would 15 have been lawful as specifically exempt, or otherwise not prohibited, 16 under any federal statute or regulations, including but not limited to 17 42 U.S.C. § 1320a-7b (b) or the regulations promulgated thereunder, if 18 conducted by a person, firm, partnership, group, practice, association, 19 fiduciary, employer representative thereof or any other entity providing 20 substance use disorder services; 21 (d) any employee or representative of a provider who is conducting 22 marketing activities, where the employee or representative identifies 23 the provider represented or for whom or which the employee or represen- 24 tative works, identifies that the employee or representative is a mark- 25 eter and not a clinician or other individual who can provide diagnostic, 26 counseling or assessment services, and such marketing activities are 27 limited to educating the potential patient about the program with no 28 effort to steer or lead the potential patient to select or consider 29 selection of the substance use disorder services provider represented or 30 for whom or which the employee or representative works; or 31 (e) commissions, fees or other remuneration lawfully paid to insurance 32 agents as provided under the insurance law. 33 5. Any provider who intentionally violates the provisions of subdivi- 34 sion two or three of this section shall be guilty of a misdemeanor as 35 defined in the penal law. 36 6. If the commissioner has reason to believe a provider has violated 37 subdivision two or three of this section, the commissioner may proceed 38 to investigate and institute enforcement actions, as may be authorized 39 pursuant to the applicable provisions of this article. 40 7. The provisions of this section are in addition to any other civil, 41 administrative or criminal enforcement actions provided by law. Penal- 42 ties authorized under this section may be imposed against corporate 43 providers and individual providers. 44 8. The commissioner shall adopt and may amend rules and regulations to 45 effectuate the provisions of this section. 46 § 2. This act shall take effect on the sixtieth day after it shall 47 have become a law.
