Directs the commissioner of the office of addiction services and supports to promulgate rules and regulations for providers operating in rural locations while taking into account the extra challenges encountered by such providers, including but not limited to, increased and additional expenses.
Establishes the rare disease advisory council to identify best practices, raise awareness regarding rare diseases, evaluate barriers to access to care, and to make recommendations to the legislature and the governor.
S 2400 creates a workgroup to study blood clots and pulmonary embolisms in the state. The workgroup, appointed by the governor and legislative leaders, will include healthcare providers, patients, family members, and advocates. It must study annual incidence rates, current data collection methods, patient impacts, care standards, emerging treatments, and develop a risk surveillance system. The workgroup will issue policy recommendations within one year to improve patient awareness, surveillance in healthcare facilities (like hospitals), and written risk notices for patients. These recommendations will be published by the health department after submission.
Requires hospitals to have a registered professional nurse as a sitting and voting member of the governing entity responsible for developing a hospital's strategic plan, structure, systems, policies and programs.
Strengthens protections for patients regarding sexual misconduct by medical providers; requires medical expert consultants involved in investigations disclose conflicts of interest and to not be under investigation, on warning, or on probation; requires a zero-tolerance policy to be adopted and training to be provided on sexual misconduct by the board for professional misconduct; includes provisions related to the right to have a chaperone; includes sexual misconduct in the definition of professional misconduct.
This bill requires coroners, pathologists, medical examiners, and other qualified medical professionals to report cases of Lyme or other tick-borne diseases discovered during post-mortem examinations to the state health department. It directly affects medical examiners and public health officials by mandating timely reporting of such cases. The key provision specifies that reporting must follow methods set by the health commissioner, ensuring standardized data collection. The goal is to improve public health tracking of tick-borne disease fatalities without changing treatment or prevention policies.
S 4547 establishes a dedicated "diversion part" in every county court to handle judicial diversion cases for eligible defendants. It directly affects individuals charged with specific class B, C, D, or E felonies (excluding certain serious offenses like class A felonies) who have a qualifying mental health or substance use diagnosis. The bill requires a clinical evaluation by licensed professionals to determine if diversion is appropriate, including recommendations for evidence-based treatment (like counseling or medication) instead of incarceration. It repeals outdated provisions about alcohol/substance use evaluations and clarifies eligibility criteria for this program.
Requires that general hospitals that provide mastectomy surgery, lymph node dissection or lumpectomy provide information to such patients concerning options for breast reconstruction.
Allows for treatment costing less than $1,500 to be done without prior approval, and more clearly defines the list of "pre-authorized procedures" as a floor on treatment as opposed to its current status as a ceiling; allows non-network providers of testing to be compensated at the provider network rate negotiated by the carrier.
S 8334 requires health insurance plans to cover all recommended doses of the COVID-19 vaccine (SARS-CoV-2), adding it to a list of mandatory immunizations already covered by New York insurance law. This affects insurance companies, healthcare providers, and patients by mandating reimbursement for the vaccine without cost-sharing. The bill amends multiple sections of New York’s insurance and social services laws to include "severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2" in required coverage, aligning with federal standards for biological products. It applies to all insurance contracts effective January 1 after the law takes effect.
