Bill Text: NY S04582 | 2019-2020 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Relates to conforming the definition of palliative care under hospice provisions to be the same as under other public health law provisions.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Passed) 2019-11-20 - signed chap.494 [S04582 Detail]

Download: New_York-2019-S04582-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                          4582
                               2019-2020 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                     March 15, 2019
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen. SANDERS -- 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 the definition  of
          palliative care
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 4012-b of the public health law, as added by  chap-
     2  ter 195 of the laws of 2002, is amended to read as follows:
     3    §  4012-b.  Hospice palliative care [program for persons with advanced
     4  and progressive disease]. 1.  Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision
     5  of this article to the contrary, a hospice may also offer a  program  of
     6  palliative  care  for  patients  with advanced [and progressive disease]
     7  life-limiting conditions  and  illnesses  and  their  families.  Such  a
     8  program  may  be  provided by a hospice issued a certificate of approval
     9  pursuant to section [forty hundred] four thousand four of this  article,
    10  acting alone or under contract with a certified home health agency, long
    11  term  home  health  care  program, licensed home care services agency or
    12  AIDS home care program, as such terms are defined in section  thirty-six
    13  hundred  two of this chapter. Nothing in this section shall preclude the
    14  provision of palliative care by any other health care provider otherwise
    15  authorized to provide such services.
    16    2. For the purposes of this section [the following terms shall mean:
    17    (a) "Advanced and progressive disease" means a medical condition which
    18  is irreversible and which will continue indefinitely, where there is  no
    19  reasonable hope of maintaining life.
    20    (b)]  "Palliative  care"  means  the active, interdisciplinary care of
    21  patients with advanced, life-limiting illness,  focusing  on  relief  of
    22  distressing  physical  and  psychosocial  symptoms and meeting spiritual
    23  needs. Its goal is achievement of the best quality of life for  patients
    24  and families.
    25    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03391-01-9