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Sponsors
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History
- Referred to health
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Creates the observational care unit demonstration program
In Senate Committee · Health · Sponsor Dale M. Volker
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:A10446
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the observational care unit demonstration program
Purpose
This bill would create a demonstration program in order to permit medical practices, which do not otherwise meet the definition of a hospital, to establish an enhanced level of care in an observation care unit for those patients, who in the opinion of the supervising physician in the medical practice are not sick enough to be admitted to a hospital, but are not well enough to be released to their own self care.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill would amend the Public Health Law to create an Observation Care unit Demonstration program. Following a review and recommendation from the state hospital review and planning council, the Commissioner would be,authorized to approve up to five medical practices statewide for this new unit. The medical prac- tices must serve underserved rural areas of the state. The care provided would be limited and not exceed twenty-four hours. The care provided in these units would be designed to resolve a patient's acute care medical problems, test, diagnose, stabilize and rapidly treat patients who are in need of a level of treatment, which in the medical opinion of the treating physician does not require immediate inpatient admission to a hospital, but who are also not yet health enough for immediate discharge to their home or another community based setting.
Section 2 of the bill is the effective date.
Existing law
Under current law, this type of observational care can only be performed in an expensive hospital setting
Justification
Particularly in rural areas of the state there is a need to improve individual access to health care and enhance the cost-effec- tiveness in the delivery of health care services. The use of this type of Observation unit within a medical practice will provide better health care, especially to elderly patients in a rural setting and relieve unnecessary hospital emergency room admissions
Legislative history
New sill
Fiscal implications
To be determined
Local fiscal implications
None
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.