S4325-2011 Actions

• Jan 4, 2012: REFERRED TO HEALTH
• Jun 7, 2011: REPORTED AND COMMITTED TO FINANCE
• Mar 29, 2011: REFERRED TO HEALTH

S4325-2011 Meetings

S4325-2011 Votes

S4325-2011 Memo

BILL NUMBER:S4325

TITLE OF BILL:

An act
to amend the public health law, in relation to providing all blind and
visually impaired patients with an audio recording
of the discharge plan and preadmission information

PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:

The purpose of the bill is to direct hospitals to provide all blind
and visually impaired patients with an audio recording of their
discharge plan and preadmission information in an effort to allow
access to this sensitive healthcare information while protecting
patients' right to privacy on such matters.

SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section 1 adds a new subdivision 9 to section 2803-i of the public
health law that directs hospitals to provide all blind and visually
impaired patients with an audio recording of their discharge plan and
preadmission information.

Section 2 sets an effective date of ninety days following enactment of
the law.

JUSTIFICATION:

It is often difficult for patients to remember the extensive
instructions given to them by their doctors upon preadmission to and
discharge from hospital. Blind or visually impaired patients might
also have trouble writing down instructions, which would compound the
difficulty of remembering them. In addition, privacy to sensitive
private health information contained in these types of documents is
lost under current practices when hospital employees read this
information aloud to patients.

This bill requires hospitals to provide blind and visually impaired
patients with an audio recording of their preadmission information
and discharge plan so they will have access to their doctors'
instructions once they leave the hospital. This bill is necessary to
ensure that such patients are able to access and follow the
instructions given by their doctors and to protect their privacy of
this sensitive information.

PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

Same As A.1469A (Rosenthal)/2010: A.6671B (Rosenthal)

FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS:

Undetermined.

EFFECTIVE DATE:


This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall have
become a law.

S4325-2011 Text

 S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 
 
                                         4325
 2011-2012 Regular Sessions
 I N  SENATE
 March 29, 2011
 
 Introduced  by  Sen.  AVELLA -- 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  providing  all
 blind  and  visually  impaired patients with an audio recording of the
 discharge plan and preadmission information
 THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:

 

Section 1. Subdivision 9 of section 2803-i of the public health law is
 renumbered  subdivision  10  and a new subdivision 9 is added to read as
 follows:

 9. UPON DISCHARGE OF A BLIND OR VISUALLY IMPAIRED PATIENT, A  HOSPITAL
 SHALL  OFFER TO PROVIDE THE PATIENT'S DISCHARGE PLAN AS AN AUDIO RECORD
 ING, TO BE MADE AVAILABLE ACCORDING TO THE PREFERENCE OF SUCH PATIENT OR
 SUCH PATIENT'S REPRESENTATIVE ON COMPACT DISC OR  OTHER  MEDIUM  AS  THE
 HOSPITAL MAY OFFER, OR AS AN ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED DIGITAL FILE, IN
 ADDITION TO A WRITTEN COPY OF THE DISCHARGE PLAN.
 

S  2.  The public health law is amended by adding a new section 2803-t
 to read as follows:

 

S 2803-T. PREADMISSION INFORMATION. ANY HOSPITAL THAT PROVIDES  PREAD
 MISSION  INFORMATION  TO  A  PATIENT,  SHALL  OFFER  A BLIND OR VISUALLY
 IMPAIRED PATIENT SUCH INFORMATION AS AN  AUDIO  RECORDING,  TO  BE  MADE
 AVAILABLE  ACCORDING TO THE PREFERENCE OF SUCH PATIENT OR SUCH PATIENT'S
 REPRESENTATIVE ON COMPACT DISC OR  OTHER  MEDIUM  AS  THE  HOSPITAL  MAY
 OFFER,  OR AS AN ELECTRONICALLY TRANSMITTED DIGITAL FILE, IN ADDITION TO
 A WRITTEN COPY OF ANY PREADMISSION INFORMATION.
 

S 3. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law.
 EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
 [ ] is old law to be omitted.
 LBD02254-03-1

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