What's happening
This bill requires New York to create a standardized color-coded patient wristband system for safety in all healthcare facilities.
Why it matters
Creates a uniform system across all New York healthcare facilities. standardizing wristband color codes ensures that patients receive consistent identification and alerts, reducing confusion for staff who work in multiple settings or when patients are transferred between facilities.
Addresses key patient safety risks. the bill specifically requires color-coded wristbands to identify conditions such as do-not-resuscitate orders, allergies, fall risk, elopement (unauthorized leaving), and choking precautions, helping prevent common medical errors and accidents.
Requires collaboration and input from healthcare stakeholders. the commissioner must consult with organizations representing providers, meaning the system should reflect real-world needs and expertise from hospitals, care homes, and nursing facilities.
Enables faster emergency response and safer care transitions. standardized wristbands make it easier for all healthcare workers, including temporary staff and emergency responders, to quickly recognize critical patient information, which is vital in urgent or high-stress situations.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Standardize Patient Safety Bands
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
2 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
170
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY (Prefiled)
January 9, 2019
Introduced by M. of A. CAHILL -- Multi-Sponsored by -- M. of A. BENEDET- TO, GALEF, GLICK, KOLB, LUPARDO, MONTESANO -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring the commissioner of health to develop and implement a system for uniform patient safety
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new section 25 to read as follows:
§ 25. Uniform patient safety. 1. The commissioner shall, in consultation with statewide organizations representative of providers of hospital and health-related services, develop and implement a system for color-coding standardization of medical safety conditions for use in all health care facilities. The commissioner shall, on or after July first, two thousand twenty-one, develop such uniform patient safety conditions by standardizing the color-coding of patient wrist bands and providing hospitals, health care providers, residential health care facilities and nursing homes in this state with a patient standardization which is uniform in relation to health-related services. The commissioner shall establish and implement the uniformity of all patient safety through the promulgation of rules and regulations and further provide for the systematic and standard application of a color system to aid in the classification and identification of safety conditions including, but not limited to, a do not resuscitate order, allergies, fall risk of the patient, elopement and choking precautions.
2. For the purposes of this section, "elopement" means that a patient (a) has left the hospital, health care facility, residential health care facility or nursing home, or the company of staff, without authorization; or (b) has left the hospital, health care facility, residential
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD00075-01-9
A. 170 2
health care facility or nursing home with authorization but has failed to return to such facility later than thirty minutes beyond the designated time.
§ 2. This act shall take effect July 1, 2021; provided, however, that effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized and directed to be made and completed on or before such effective date.
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.