What's happening
This bill creates a program to expand and fund health information and clinical technology for New York’s home care providers.
Why it matters
Aims to modernize and connect New York’s home care sector. by supporting technology upgrades that enable better data sharing, care coordination, and cost management—potentially leading to improved patient outcomes and more efficient services.
Targets funding barriers that limit smaller or under-resourced home care agencies. from adopting health IT, by offering capital grants, payment adjustments, and incentives—making technology upgrades more financially feasible for a broader range of providers.
Links technology support to participation in broader state health initiatives. (like Medicaid managed care, value-based payment, and health homes), which could help integrate home care into New York’s evolving healthcare system and ensure more seamless patient care across settings.
Redirects up to $100 million in existing state health funds. specifically for these technology improvements, signaling a significant investment in home care modernization and potentially affecting how resources are allocated across New York’s health system.
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Who cares
Headline styles
Fund Home Health Technology
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
No co-sponsors yet.
History
- Referred to health
- Referred to health
Full text
3 pagesUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1791
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 16, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RIVERA -- 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 enacting the "home health information and clinical technology act"
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as the "home health information and clinical technology act".
§ 2. Section 3622 of the public health law, as renumbered by section 22 of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2004, is renumbered section 3623 and a new section 3622 is added to read as follows:
§ 3622. Home health information and clinical technology. 1. The commissioner, in consultation with representatives of home care providers, managed care plans, statewide associations representative of home care, and other stakeholders engaged in the development and collaborative use of health information technology in home care, shall develop a health information and clinical technology infrastructure support program for the home care system. Such program shall seek to:
(a) promote quality, accessibility, care management, innovation and cost-effectiveness in care;
(b) support state goals for home care participation in integrated care models under this chapter and the social services law including, but not limited to, medicaid managed care, managed long term care, delivery system reform incentive payment programs, value based payment models, fully integrated duals advantage plans, health homes, patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations, and hospital-home carephysician collaboration programs; and
(c) facilitate home care participation in regional health information organizations.
2. The program shall include, but not be limited to, the following components:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD07739-01-9
S. 1791 2
(a) Capital grants. Subject to the availability of funds therefor, the commissioner shall be authorized to make available and, upon the approval of the director of the budget, to provide state grants to certified home health agencies, licensed home care services agencies and longterm home health care programs for clinical and health information technology. Such grants shall be provided pursuant to an application process developed by the commissioner, in consultation with representatives of the providers, managed care plans and the other entities specified in subdivision one of this section;
(b) Technology adjustment to episodic payment system. The commissioner is authorized to provide a technology adjustment for certified home health agencies and contracted licensed home care services agencies under the episodic payment system established pursuant to subdivision thirteen of section thirty-six hundred fourteen of this article. Such adjustment may be made as either a statewide base price adjustment or an add-on to the episodic rate, as the commissioner deems appropriate, to support the purposes of this section. The commissioner is authorized to also adjust, for said purposes, the payment rates for long term home health care program providers;
(c) Technology adjustment under managed care. The commissioner is authorized to provide a technology adjustment to managed care and managed long term care premiums established pursuant to section three hundred sixty-four-j of the social services law and section forty-four hundred three-f of this chapter. Such adjustment shall be in amounts which are in addition to other payments to managed care organizations and plans, and shall be provided for health information and clinical technology support for home care providers delivering or managing services under contract with such plans, and shall promote the purposes of this section;
(d) Technology support under the department's health workforce initiatives. The commissioner shall consider opportunities for clinical and health information technology support within the department's initiatives and funding for health workforce recruitment, training, retention and development. The commissioner shall seek to include such support for technology when deemed to further the purposes of this section and the specific workforce initiative, and to the extent allowable under such workforce funding. Workforce initiatives under this section shall include, but not be limited to, workforce funding authorized under the state's section eleven hundred fifteen waiver to the federal social security act for the state's medical assistance program;
(e) Technology incentive under managed care quality incentive payments. On and after April first, two thousand twenty, the commissioner shall establish additional quality incentive payments to managed care and managed long term care plans, respectively, pursuant to section three hundred sixty-four-j of the social services law and section forty-four hundred three-f of this chapter, based on evidence of plan support for home care clinical and health information technology consistent with the purposes of this section. Such amounts shall be in addition to any other payments made to a managed care organization or plan, and support shall be evidenced in a plan's contracts and payments to home care providers and/or through other metrics identified by the commissioner in consultation with representatives of managed care organizations and plans;
(f) Technology support under the delivery system reform incentive payment program. The commissioner shall include a contingency to funding awarded to performing providers systems under the delivery system reform
S. 1791 3
incentive payment program such that the performing provider system demonstrates to the satisfaction of the commissioner that it provides programmatic and fiscal support for health information technology capacity for home care providers within such system's network, consistent with the purposes of this section.
(g) Health care reform act technology funding. Notwithstanding any inconsistent provision of this chapter or the rules and regulations of the department, the commissioner, subject to the approval of the director of the budget, is authorized to redirect undistributed funds an aggregate annual amount of up to one hundred million dollars for the support of paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of this subdivision.
3. The provisions of this section shall be implemented in a manner in collaboration with and consistent with the goals of the delivery system reform incentive payment program and other technology initiatives undertaken by the state.
§ 3. This act shall take effect immediately.
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 enacting the "home health information and clinical technology act"
Purpose
To establish and implement a plan to support home health information and clinical technology development, capacity and exchange, consistent with and necessary for execution of major state policies on health informa- tion and clinical integration.
Summary of provisions
Section 1 of the bill creates a short title having the act known as the "home health information and clinical technology act".
Section 2 of the bill provides that the.state commissioner of health, in consultation with representatives of home care providers, managed care plans, and statewide associations representative of home care, shall develop a health information and clinical technology infrastructure support program for the home care system.
The plan and its implementation are to be implemented in a manner in collaboration with, and consistent with the goals of major state health integration reforms (e.g., DSRIP) and other technology initiatives undertaken by the state.
The program is designed to:
*Promote quality, accessibility, care management, innovation and cost- effectiveness in care;
*Support state goals for home care participation in integrated care models under this chapter and the social services law, including but not limited to Medicaid managed care, managed long term care, delivery system reform incentive payment programs, value based payment models, fully integrated duals advantage plans, health homes, patient-centered medical homes, accountable care organizations, and hospital-home care physician collaboration programs; and
*Facilitate home care participation in regional health information organizations.
The program would include, but not be limited to financial and program support through: capital grants; technology adjustments to home care and managed care rates; and incorporation of technology support under vari- ous workforce, quality and public health initiatives of the state.
Section 3 of the bill provides for an effective date.
Justification
This bill would set in motion a planning and implementation process for vital support for health information and clinical technology in home care, and critical connectivity between home care and hospital, physi- cian, health plan and other partners in the continuum. This essential support would promote health care quality, cost-effectiveness, care management, and integration of home care within provider and state/regional health information systems.
Health informational and clinical technology are at the core of every aspect of health facility/agency operation; they are integral to service delivery, quality evaluation and outcomes, cost-effectiveness and admin- istration.
Virtually every new state policy and care model requires this kind of technology infrastructure and interoperability to succeed. To date however state, federal and other relevant sources of support have long overlooked home care in the health information technology development arena. This legislation would set into motion critically needed steps to support home care, managed care, and ultimately the continuum of care in vital health information connectivity and clinical technology capacity.
Legislative history
2016: S.8168
Fiscal implications
Necessary for efficient, cost-effective functioning of the system, including Medicaid cost-containment reforms. Any funds allocated for this bill would be subject to appropriations and future state fiscal plan determinations.
Effective date
Immediately.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.