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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.
Relates to conforming the definition of palliative care throughout the public health law
In Senate Committee · Health · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
The text isn't available here yet. Check nysenate.gov.
Sponsor's memo
BILL NUMBER:S7504
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the definition of palliative care
Purpose or general idea of bill
Add a definition for and update other references to palliative care in the hospice law.
Summary of specific provisions
The bill adds a new subdivision 6 to Section 4002 of the Public Health Law to define "palliative care" as "health care treatment, including interdisciplinary end-of-life care, and consultation with patients and family members, and psychosocial and spiritual support to prevent or relieve pain and suffering and to enhance the patient's quality of life." This definition tracks the definition used in other relevant provisions of the Public Health Law.
Currently, Section 4002 does not define palliative care for the article as a whole, but instead references "palliative and supportive care to meet the special needs arising out of physical, psychological, spiritual, social and economic stresses which are experienced during the final stages of illness, and during dying and bereavement."
Section 3 of the bill deletes the definition of palliative care in Section 4012-b which is selectively applicable to services for patients with life-limiting as opposed to life-ending illness, and makes other technical revisions so that the new definition in Subdivision 6 of Section 4002 will apply to Article Forty as a whole.
Justification
The Palliative Care Access Act of 2010 (PHL § 2997-e) and the Palliative Care Information Act of 2011 (PHL § 2997-d) both define palliative care as "health care treatment, including interdisciplinary end-of-life care, and consultation with patients and family members, to prevent or relieve pain and suffering and to enhance the patient's quality of life, including hospice care under article forty of this chapter."
In 2002, Section 4012-b was enacted to enable hospices to provide palliative care to patients not at end-of-life. However, the inconsistent definitions between hospice statute and palliative care statutes have led to confusion and could potentially limit access. This bill updates the hospice statute to provide a definition of palliative care tracking that in used in those other sections.
Prior legislative history
New bill
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.