This bill (A 9491) requires courts and mental health institutions to coordinate discharge planning for defendants in criminal cases terminated due to mental disease or defect. It mandates that courts order referrals to community services (when clinically appropriate and with consent) and dismiss charges upon termination, while institutions must track referrals and submit de-identified annual reports to state officials. The mental hygiene law office must publish annual public data on defendant outcomes, including admission rates, discharge planning, and referral patterns. The bill directly affects defendants in such cases, courts, mental health facilities, and state agencies, without altering eligibility for services or requiring referrals where consent is absent.
Requires anti-bias training for every medical student, medical resident and physician assistant student in the state; requires the department of health to make an annual report on the implementation and effectiveness of such training.
Requires health insurance for state officers and employees who receive health insurance benefits from the state to take effect immediately upon employment.
Expands health care services provided by telehealth to include services delivered through a facility licensed under article twenty-eight of the public health law that is eligible to be designated or has received a designation as a federally qualified health center, including those facilities that are also licensed under article thirty-one or article thirty-two of the mental hygiene law.
Establishes a three-year pilot hospital medical debt relief program to provide hospital medical debt relief to eligible residents of the state utilizing a not-for-profit organization to identify, acquire and cancel medical debt of such eligible residents directly from health care providers in the state.
Relates to requirements for medical professionals and health care facilities that provide medication to patients for medical aid in dying; extends the initial effectiveness of certain provisions relating thereto.
This bill establishes New York's "Medical Aid in Dying Act," allowing terminally ill adults (18+) with decision-making capacity to request and self-administer medication to end their life. To qualify, a patient must have a terminal illness confirmed by two physicians (the attending physician and a consulting physician) and make an informed decision after being fully informed of alternatives, risks, and outcomes. The process requires an oral request, a written request signed by the patient and witnessed by two non-conflicted adults (not relatives or beneficiaries), and includes the right to rescind the request at any time. The bill also mandates documentation, safe disposal of unused medication, and state reporting.
Relates to requiring a medical facility or related service to obtain express prior written consent before filming and/or broadcasting of visual images of a patient's medical treatment.
This bill allows licensed pharmacists to order and administer specific medical tests, including COVID-19, flu, RSV, strep throat, HbA1c, hepatitis C, and HIV tests, all authorized by the FDA. It directly affects pharmacists (expanding their clinical role) and patients (increasing access to convenient testing). The law requires tests to meet FDA authorization and federal "waiver" requirements, aligning pharmacists with qualified health professionals under existing public health law. The bill modifies prior 2022 legislation but includes a sunset provision, with most provisions set to expire on July 1, 2028.
Relates to the provision of patient health information and medical records; expands the definition of medical records to include all health related records; prohibits fees for providing certain records.
