Healthcare (Hospitals)

Requires the department of health to establish a registry for the collection of information on the incidence and prevalence of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and motor neuron disease (MND) in the state; requires that every physician, nurse practitioner, physician assistant and general hospital that diagnoses or treats a patient diagnosed with ALS or MND give notice to the department of cases of ALS or MND coming under their care; requires that patients diagnosed with ALS or MND be provided with written and verbal notice regarding the collection of information and patient data on ALS and MND and provides a method for patients to opt out of the collection of data; provides for duties of the department and the commissioner of health in relation thereto.

Includes guardians of the principal as a person who may commence certain special proceedings; provides that if a hospital can with reasonable efforts ascertain the identity of the parents or guardian of an emancipated minor patient and obtain such parent's or guardian's contact information, the hospital shall notify such persons, and document such notification in the patient's medical record, prior to withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.

Includes guardians of the principal as a person who may commence certain special proceedings; provides that if a hospital can with reasonable efforts ascertain the identity of the parents or guardian of an emancipated minor patient and obtain such parent's or guardian's contact information, the hospital shall notify such persons, and document such notification in the patient's medical record, prior to withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining treatment.

This bill mandates that all hospitals report every case of poisoning to the regional poison control center. The specific method and timing for these reports will be determined by future regulations issued by the relevant health department. The law includes a delay before it becomes active, taking effect 90 days after it is officially signed into law. This change aims to improve data collection on poisoning incidents without altering the core responsibilities of hospital staff.

Establishes a state frontotemporal degeneration registry; defines terms; requires every physician, nurse practitioner, nurse physician assistant and general hospital that diagnoses or is treating a patient diagnosed with an FTD disorder to give notice to the department; requires certain information to be confidential; sets forth the duties of the commissioner of health; requires the department of health to create and maintain a webpage.

Enacts into law major components of legislation necessary to implement the state health and mental hygiene budget for the 2025-2026 state fiscal year; requires the commissioner of health to provide a quarterly report on known and expected department of health state funds Medicaid expenditures through state fiscal year 2026-2027 (Part A); extends the effectiveness of various provisions relating to social services and healthcare including medical reimbursement and welfare reform (Part B); relates to supplemental hospital payments (Part D); shifts long-term nursing home stays from managed care to fee for service; authorizes penalties for managed care plans that do not meet contractual obligations (Part E); requires a health plan to pay the MCO provider tax for each calendar year; requires every health plan subject to the approved MCO provider tax to submit reports; imposes penalties for failure to submit such timely payments; grants the commissioner of health audit powers; relates to the healthcare stability fund; relates to Medicaid payment increases for certain medical services; makes certain Medicaid payment increases contingent upon the availability of funds within the healthcare stability fund (Part F); relates to insurance coverage for medical malpractice paid for by funds from the hospital excess liability pool; extends portions of the New York Health Care Reform Act of 1996 (Part G); eliminates the fees paid by funeral directors for permits for burials and removals which are used to support the electronic death registration system; repeals certain provisions of such law relating thereto (Part I); relates to extending the time for awards to be granted to applications for the statewide health care facility transformation III program (Part J); requires general hospitals to report community benefit spending by July 1 of each calendar year (Part M); requires hospitals to provide stabilizing care to pregnant individuals; defines terms; repeals provisions relating to required protocols for fetal demise (Part P); relates to improving access to and increasing coverage for infertility treatments (Part Q); requires hospitals to have sexual assault forensic examiners (Part T); extends the provisions relating to preferred sources for entities that provide employment to certain persons (Part Z); extends certain provisions relating to clarifying the authority of the commissioners in the department of mental hygiene to design and implement time-limited demonstration programs to 03/31/2028 (Part AA); extends the effectiveness of certain provisions relating to the appointment of temporary operators for the continued operation of programs and the provision of services for persons with serious mental illness and/or developmental disabilities and/or chemical dependence (Part BB); extends certain provisions relating to services for individuals with developmental disabilities (Part CC); amends the definition of minor to exclude certain homeless youth for purposes of allowing such homeless youth to consent to certain medical, dental, health and hospital services, including behavioral health services (Part DD); relates to involuntary admission and assisted outpatient treatment; establishes the behavioral health crisis technical assistance center; relates to required training and maintaining of records relating to persons dealing with mental health and substance use crises (Part EE); provides that director of the budget, the commissioners of the office of mental health, office for people with developmental disabilities, office of addiction services and supports, office of temporary and disability assistance, office of children and family services, and the state office for the aging shall establish a state fiscal year 2025-2026 targeted inflationary increase, effective April 1, 2025, for projecting for the effects of inflation upon rates of payments, contracts, or any other form of reimbursement for the programs and services (Part FF); relates to the composition and work of mental health incident review panels (Part GG); provides that school-based health centers shall not be provided to medical assistance recipients through managed care programs until at least April 1, 2026 (Part HH); requires any New York subdivision that directly received funds pursuant to a statewide opioid settlement agreement to publicly post on their website information regarding how such funding was utilized and submit such information to the office of addiction services and supports (Part II); relates to clarifying which entities handle the reporting of pregnancy loss; and the responsibilities of health care providers and penalties for not protecting the identities of individuals who suffered a pregnancy loss (Part JJ); extends the authorization for certain fees and charges related to emergency medical services (Part KK); relates to the modernization and revitalization of the Nassau health care corporation (Part LL); extends certain provisions relating to the NYS medical indemnity fund (Part MM).

Provides for the designation by a general hospital of persons to identify infectious disease processes, conduct surveillance and epidemiologic investigations, and develop plans to prevent and control the transmission of infectious agents within general hospitals.

This bill (S 1538) adds county probation officers in Nassau County to a list of public safety workers eligible for optional disability coverage. If Nassau County chooses to adopt it, probation officers injured or made ill while performing job duties would receive full salary during recovery and have medical/hospital costs covered by the county - mirroring existing protections for police, firefighters, and other covered roles. The coverage is optional for Nassau County, not mandatory statewide, and prohibits medical providers from billing the officers directly. It does not change current coverage for other counties or public safety workers outside Nassau.

Establishes an age-friendly health system technical assistance center to provide assistance in relation to age-friendly health systems; relates to hospital performance data.

Provides for the designation by a general hospital of persons to identify infectious disease processes, conduct surveillance and epidemiologic investigations, and develop plans to prevent and control the transmission of infectious agents within general hospitals.