S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 328 2013-2014 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E (PREFILED) January 9, 2013 ___________ Introduced by Sens. AVELLA, ADDABBO, GRISANTI -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to providing all blind and visually impaired patients with an audio recording of the discharge plan and preadmission information THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Subdivision 9 of section 2803-i of the public health law is 2 renumbered subdivision 10 and a new subdivision 9 is added to read as 3 follows: 4 9. UPON DISCHARGE OF A BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PATIENT, A HOSPITAL 5 SHALL OFFER TO PROVIDE THE PATIENT'S DISCHARGE PLAN AS AN AUDIO RECORD- 6 ING, TO BE MADE AVAILABLE ACCORDING TO THE PREFERENCE OF SUCH PATIENT OR 7 SUCH PATIENT'S REPRESENTATIVE ON COMPACT DISC OR OTHER MEDIUM AS THE 8 HOSPITAL MAY OFFER, OR AS AN ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED DIGITAL FILE, IN 9 ADDITION TO A WRITTEN COPY OF THE DISCHARGE PLAN. 10 S 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2803-t 11 to read as follows: 12 S 2803-T. PREADMISSION INFORMATION. ANY HOSPITAL THAT PROVIDES PREAD- 13 MISSION INFORMATION TO A PATIENT, SHALL OFFER A BLIND OR VISUALLY 14 IMPAIRED PATIENT SUCH INFORMATION AS AN AUDIO RECORDING, TO BE MADE 15 AVAILABLE ACCORDING TO THE PREFERENCE OF SUCH PATIENT OR SUCH PATIENT'S 16 REPRESENTATIVE ON COMPACT DISC OR OTHER MEDIUM AS THE HOSPITAL MAY 17 OFFER, OR AS AN ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED DIGITAL FILE, IN ADDITION TO 18 A WRITTEN COPY OF ANY PREADMISSION INFORMATION. 19 S 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 20 have become a law. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD02139-01-3