What's happening
The bill allows hospice residences to have up to 50% of their capacity as dually certified inpatient beds with approval.
Why it matters
Expands access to higher-acuity care. By allowing hospice residences to have up to 50% of beds as dually certified inpatient beds (with approval), the bill makes it possible for more residents to receive a higher level of medical care without needing to transfer to a hospital or separate facility.
Provides flexibility for hospice operators. The change gives hospice providers more leeway to respond to the needs of their patient population, especially as medical complexity at end-of-life increases, potentially resulting in better patient-centered care.
May reduce disruptions for families and patients. With more dually certified beds available onsite, patients who experience changes in their care needs can remain in a familiar and supportive environment, which can help maintain quality of life and emotional well-being during hospice care.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Expand Hospice Bed Limits
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Substituted by A7775A
- Ordered to third reading cal.2173
- Committee discharged and committed to rules
- Reported and committed to finance
- 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.
Expand Hospice Bed Limits
Signed by Governor · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
6364
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
May 11, 2017
Introduced by Sen. HANNON -- 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 authorized capacity of hospice residences of dually certified hospice inpatient beds
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivision 2-b of section 4002 of the public health law, as amended by chapter 512 of the laws of 2013, is amended to read as follows:
2-b. "Hospice residence" means a hospice operated home which is residential in character and physical structure and operated for the purpose of providing more than two hospice patients but not more than sixteen hospice patients with hospice care, which may include dually certified hospice in-patient beds up to twenty-five percent of the hospice residence's patient capacity, or up to fifty percent of the hospice residence's patient capacity with the commissioner's approval.
§ 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD11444-02-7
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the authorized capacity of hospice residences of dually certified hospice inpatient beds
Purpose
To increase the number of hospice beds which can be used for in-patient pain control or symptom management that would otherwise require hospitalization.
Summary of provisions
The bill would amend Public Health Law § 4002 to increase the number of beds in hospice residences that can be dually certified as both hospice and in-patient beds from 25% to 50% of the total beds, with the Commissioner of Health's approval.
Justification
Hospice residences are currently limited in the percentage of beds that can be dually certified for either residential level of care or inpatient level of care. Swing beds, as they are called, provide the opportunity to offer a higher level of care to patients and avoid hospitalization. These beds must be built to construction standards for inpatient level of care, and comply with Federal regulations ranging from nurse staffing to the dispensing of drugs.
The current limit on the number of swing beds is disruptive to terminally ill patients served by the hospice residence. If temporarily hospitalized, patients are forced to await readmission to the hospice, often in a nursing home, if a residential bed is unavailable. If forced into a nursing home with which the hospice does not have a contract, a serious gap in the continuum of care can significantly disrupt the established Hospice plan of care.
Expanding the number of swing beds in a hospice residence will also allow terminally ill patients in hospitals, who still require in-patient care to be transferred to hospice residences sooner. For hospice patients residing in the community who require advanced pain control or symptom management and are struggling to be maintained comfortably at home, it would avoid unnecessary re-hospitalization and expedite safe and effective care.
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.