BILL NUMBER: S6219

SPONSOR: RIVERA
 
TITLE OF BILL:

An act to amend the public health law, in relation to municipal limited
health care service facilities

 
PURPOSE:

To authorize the commissioner to make regulations for municipal limited
health care service facilities

 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:

Section one amends section 2801-a of the Public Health Law, as it
relates to establishment or incorporation of hospitals, by adding a new
subdivision 17 to provide that diagnostic or treatment centers or other
facilities managed and administered by a local health department for the
purpose of providing limited health care services as defined by the
health commissioner may be operated by a local health department and
would be referred to as municipal limited health care service facili-
              

ties. The commissioner would promulgate regulations for municipal limit-
ed health care service facilities, which may be different from the:
regulations otherwise applicable to hospitals, including but not limited
to designating or limiting the diagnoses and services that may be
provided; employee health requirements; and requirements or guidelines
for advertising and signage, disclosure of ownership interests, informed
consent, record keeping, referral for treatment, case reporting to the
patient's primary care or other health care providers, design,
construction, fixtures, and equipment.

Section two provides the effective date.

 
JUSTIFICATION:

Local health departments operate clinics to provide specified clinical
public health services, such as tuberculosis, sexually transmitted
disease and immunization clinics. Currently, these clinics are subject
to the full range of requirements imposed on, hospitals and other full
service diagnostic and treatment centers under Article 28 of the Public
Health Law. To require compliance with these requirements places unnec-
essary burdens on the limited service public health clinics operated by
local health departments, threatening the ability of the local health
departments to maintain these limited service clinics. This bill will
provide the commissioner the flexibility to develop a regulatory frame-
work that makes sense for limited service public health clinics and
permit their continued operation so that vital public health services
may continue to be provided.

 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:

2021-2022: A.5177 - referred to health

2019-2020: S.4390/A.4712 - referred to health

2017-2018: A.2483 - referred to health

2015-2016: A.63 - referred to health
2014: A.9108 - referred to health

 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:

None to the State.

 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.