S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   9733
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 2, 2018
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by  M.  of  A.  RICHARDSON  -- read once and referred to the
   Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to maternal mortality
   reporting and advancement  of  best  practices;  and  in  relation  to
   providing information on possible complications from pregnancy
 
   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding  a  new  section
 2509 to read as follows:
   §  2509.  MATERNAL  MORTALITY  REPORTING AND ADVANCEMENT OF BEST PRAC-
 TICES. 1. FOR PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE  TERM  "MATERNAL  MORTALITY"
 MEANS THE CESSATION OF RESPIRATION AND CIRCULATION FOR A WOMAN DURING OR
 UP  TO  A  YEAR  FROM THE END OF PREGNANCY, FROM ANY CAUSE RELATED TO OR
 AGGRAVATED BY THE PREGNANCY OR ITS MANAGEMENT.
   2. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL WORK WITH  STAKEHOLDERS  AND  EXPERTS  IN  THE
 STATE  AND  OTHER  STATES TO EXAMINE PROCEDURES FOUND TO REDUCE MATERNAL
 MORTALITY RATES, AND BASED ON ITS FINDINGS DEVELOP EVIDENCE-BASED QUALI-
 TY IMPROVEMENT PROCEDURES THAT MATERNAL CARE PROVIDERS CAN IMPLEMENT  TO
 PREVENT MATERNAL MORTALITY.
   3.  THE DEPARTMENT SHALL WORK WITH PROVIDERS TO ENSURE THE ADOPTION OF
 PROCEDURES PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION TWO OF THIS SECTION AND  SHALL  TRACK
 THE  PERCENTAGE OF MATERNAL CARE PROVIDERS THAT HAVE ADOPTED SUCH PROCE-
 DURES.
   4. NO LATER THAN NOVEMBER THIRTIETH, TWO THOUSAND  EIGHTEEN,  AND  NOT
 LATER  THAN NOVEMBER THIRTIETH ANNUALLY THEREAFTER, THE DEPARTMENT SHALL
 SUBMIT TO THE GOVERNOR, THE SPEAKER OF THE ASSEMBLY  AND  THE  TEMPORARY
 PRESIDENT  OF THE SENATE AND THE RESPECTIVE CHAIRPERSONS OF THE ASSEMBLY
 AND SENATE HEALTH COMMITTEES A REPORT ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND ADOPTION OF
 PROCEDURES TO REDUCE MATERNAL MORTALITY, THE RATE OF ADOPTION  OF  THESE
 PROCEDURES  BY  PROVIDERS  IN THE STATE, AND THE EFFECT THESE PROCEDURES
 HAVE HAD ON THE MATERNAL MORTALITY RATE IN THE STATE.
   5. THE REPORT SHALL INCLUDE DATA AVAILABLE REGARDING MATERNAL  MORTAL-
 ITY IN THE STATE INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
              

                                                            LBD14469-01-8

 A. 9733                             2
 
   (A)  THE  NUMBER  OF  MATERNAL  MORTALITIES,  DISAGGREGATED BY RACE OR
 ETHNICITY AND COUNTY; AND
   (B)  THE  MATERNAL MORTALITY RATIO, DISAGGREGATED BY RACE OR ETHNICITY
 AND COUNTY WHERE AVAILABLE AND STATISTICALLY RELIABLE.
   6. THE DEPARTMENT SHALL PUBLISH THE DISAGGREGATED  MATERNAL  MORTALITY
 DATA  COLLECTED  PURSUANT TO SUBDIVISION FIVE OF THIS SECTION AS PART OF
 ITS MATERNAL AND INFANT HEALTH INDICATORS, TO THE EXTENT  SUCH  DATA  IS
 AVAILABLE TO THE DEPARTMENT.
   §  2.  Subdivision  1-b of section 2803-j of the public health law, as
 amended by chapter 199 of the laws  of  2014,  is  amended  to  read  as
 follows:
   1-b. The informational leaflet shall also include information relating
 to  the  physical  and  mental  health  of  the  maternity patient after
 discharge from the hospital, including, but not limited to,  information
 about maternal depression AND INFORMATION ON POSSIBLE COMPLICATIONS FROM
 PREGNANCY  THAT  CAN  LEAD TO DEATH.  The commissioner, in collaboration
 with the commissioner of mental health,  shall  review  and  update  the
 information  on  maternal depression contained in the leaflet, as neces-
 sary. The informational leaflets shall be made available to patients  in
 the top six languages spoken in the state, other than English, according
 to the latest available data from the United States Census Bureau.
   §  3.  Paragraph  (b) of subdivision 1 of section 2803-n of the public
 health law, as amended by chapter 199 of the laws of 2014, is amended to
 read as follows:
   (b) Maternity care shall also include, at minimum,  parent  education,
 assistance and training in breast or bottle feeding, education on mater-
 nal  depression,  education  on maternal depression screening and refer-
 rals, INCLUDING SCREENINGS AND REFERRALS TO IDENTIFY CONDITIONS  IDENTI-
 FIED  AS  PRESENTING  A  SERIOUS THREAT TO THE LIFE OF THE MOTHER IN THE
 YEAR AFTER PREGNANCY, and the performance of any necessary maternal  and
 newborn  clinical assessments. Notwithstanding this requirement, nothing
 in this paragraph is intended to result in  the  hospital  charging  any
 amount  for  such  services in addition to the applicable charge for the
 maternity inpatient hospital admission.
   § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day  after  it  shall
 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or
 repeal  of  any  rule  or regulation necessary for the implementation of
 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made  and  completed
 on or before such effective date.