What's happening
This bill requires hospitals and practitioners to report deaths resulting from opioid overdoses to the state health commissioner.
Why it matters
Enhances public health surveillance. By mandating the reporting of opioid overdose deaths by hospitals and practitioners, the state can gather more accurate and timely data, which is crucial for understanding the full scope of the opioid crisis.
Supports targeted intervention and resource allocation. Improved data collection enables the state to identify overdose hotspots and demographic trends, allowing for better-targeted prevention, treatment, and harm reduction programs.
Maintains privacy protections. The bill requires that all reports be kept confidential and used only for statistical, epidemiological, or research purposes, minimizing risks to personal privacy while still enabling critical public health analysis.
Increases accountability and standardization. By explicitly adding opioid overdose death reporting to existing statutes, the legislation creates a uniform requirement for all hospitals and practitioners, reducing inconsistencies in reporting practices across New York State.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Report Opioid Overdose Deaths
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
5498
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
April 3, 2017
Introduced by Sen. GOLDEN -- 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 reporting requirements for deaths resulting from opioid overdoses
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 3309 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 42 of the laws of 2014, is amended to read as follows:
1. The commissioner is authorized to establish standards for approval of any opioid overdose prevention program, and opioid antagonist prescribing, dispensing, distribution, possession and administration pursuant to this section which may include, but not be limited to, standards for program directors, appropriate clinical oversight, training, and record keeping [and]; provided, however that such standards shall include reporting requirements for deaths resulting from opioid overdoses that are pronounced at a hospital that has been issued an operating certificate by the commissioner.
§ 2. Section 3372 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 195 of the laws of 1973, is amended to read as follows:
§ 3372. Practitioner patient reporting. 1. It shall be the duty of every attending practitioner and every consulting practitioner to report promptly to the commissioner, or his duly designated agent, the name and, if possible, the address of, and such other data as may be required by the commissioner with respect to, any person under treatment if he finds that such person is an addict or a habitual user of any narcotic drug. Such report shall be kept confidential and may be utilized only for statistical, epidemiological or research purposes, except that those reports which originate in the course of a criminal proceeding other than under section 81.25 of the mental hygiene law shall be subject only
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD10888-01-7
S. 5498 2
to the confidentiality requirements of section thirty-three hundred seventy-one of this article.
2. It shall be the duty of every attending practitioner and every consulting practitioner to report promptly to the commissioner, or his duly designated agent, the name and such other data as may be required by the commissioner with respect to any person who died as a result of an opioid overdose. Such report shall be kept confidential and may be utilized only for statistical, epidemiological or research purposes, except that those reports which originate in the course of a criminal proceeding other than under section 81.25 of the mental hygiene law shall be subject only to the confidentiality requirements of section thirty-three hundred seventy-one of this article.
§ 3. This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to reporting requirements for deaths resulting from opioid overdoses
Purpose or general idea of bill
This legislation creates recording and reporting requirement standards for deaths resulting from opioid overdoses.
Summary of provisions
Section one of this bill amends subdivision 1 of section 3309 of the Public Health Law to provide record keeping standards to include reporting requirements for deaths resulting from opioid overdoses pronounced at a hospital.
Section two of this bill amends section 3372 of the Public Health Law to require all practitioners to promptly report to the Commissioner of the State Department of Health or their duly designated agent, the name and other pertinent information of any person who died as a result of an opioid overdose. The report of such data shall be confidential and in most cases, may be used only for statistical, epidemiological or research purposes.
Section three of this bill provides that this act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Justification
Currently, the law does not require physicians or other medical practitioners such as physician assistants to report opioid overdoses or deaths as a result of an opioid overdose to the State department of health (DOH). While the State does push practitioners to report addicts and habitual users to DOH, this report does not provide a comprehensive portrayal of the opioid epidemic. Throughout the State, more and more news reports are telling of tragic deaths of young and old residents due to opioid overdoses and unfortunately, it is both addicts and first time users who are dying. For the State to appropriately address this heartbreaking epidemic DOH has to provide the Legislature, the full picture and this legislation will accomplish that task.
Prior legislative history
New bill.
Fiscal implications
To be determined.
Effective date
This act shall take effect on the thirtieth day after it shall have become a law.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.