What's happening
This bill adds topical oxygen wound therapy for chronic wounds as a covered Medicaid benefit in New York.
Why it matters
Provides new treatment options for Medicaid recipients with chronic wounds. , which may help reduce complications, speed up healing, and improve quality of life for patients who have not responded to standard care.
Requires that topical oxygen wound therapy be prescribed by a physician or other qualified prescriber. and used with FDA-cleared equipment, ensuring safety standards and medical oversight.
May help reduce long-term healthcare costs. by potentially preventing serious complications like infections or amputations, which are more expensive to treat than early interventions for chronic wounds.
Empowers the state health commissioner to set coverage criteria. , meaning implementation and patient eligibility could be shaped by evolving medical guidelines and best practices.
Albany, before your first meeting.
Every bill that moved yesterday, summarized in a sentence and ranked by impact. The Albany Scorecard follows on Sundays.
Free. Unsubscribe in one click. Want alerts on specific bills? Create an account.
Who cares
Headline styles
Add Oxygen Therapy to Medicaid
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Vetoed memo.189
- Delivered to governor
- Returned to senate
- Passed assembly
- Ordered to third reading rules cal.642
- Substituted for A2906
- Referred to health
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 60–3
- Ordered to third reading cal.1542
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
Show 1 earlier action
- 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.
Add Oxygen Therapy to Medicaid
Assembly Floor Calendar · Sponsor Felix Ortiz
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
3421
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 23, 2017
Introduced by Sens. PARKER, ADDABBO, BAILEY, COMRIE, DIAZ, DILAN, HAMIL- TON, KENNEDY, LATIMER, PERKINS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing topical oxygen wound therapy as a Medicaid benefit
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2 of section 365-a of the social services law is amended by adding a new paragraph (dd) to read as follows:
(dd) topical oxygen wound therapy for chronic wound management and treatment, as prescribed by a physician or other qualified prescriber, through use of a United States Food and Drug Administration cleared topical oxygen chamber for extremities, consistent with coverage criteria established by the commissioner.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07500-01-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the social services law, in relation to establishing topical oxygen wound therapy as a Medicaid benefit
Purpose or general idea of bill
To establish topical oxygen wound therapy as a statutory Medicaid benefit
Summary of specific provisions
This legislation amends subdivision 2 of section 365-a of the social services law by adding a new subparagraph (dd).
Justification
Topical oxygen wound therapy (TOWT) is demonstrated safe and effective treatment for patients suffering from chronic wounds that have not responded to standard therapy. Since 2008, about 50% of the NY Medicaid patients who do not respond to standard wound treatment have had their wounds completely healed through the use of TOWT. Many of these patients are diabetic and elderly.
Once TOWT has been provided in a supervised setting and the patient is trained in its use, TOWT can be safely self-administered in the home, eliminating the need for the suffering patient to transport themselves to a facility for treatment. The units that deliver the TOWT are for. onetime use and disposable, which promotes the rate of healing and reduces bacterial growth. Self-administration also greatly reduces the cost of treatment, because it eliminates all unnecessary medical or transportation costs. TOWT is 23-87% less expensive than other available treatments.
TOWT is approved for use in all federal Veterans Administration facilities, by the Department of Defense, workers compensation programs in nineteen states and by a number of private health insurers.
The New York Department of Health has proposed eliminating TOWT as a Medicaid benefit. New York Courts have issued a temporary restraining order prohibiting DOH from taking this benefit away from needy New Yorkers.
Establishing this treatment in statute will guarantee that New Yorkers will continue to have access to this safe, effective and necessary treatment.
Legislative history
2015-16: S.4185B/A.5907A -Passed Senate
Fiscal impact to the state
None. TOWT is the least expensive treatment for wounds that have not responded to standard therapy.
Effective date
Immediately
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.