NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A9525
SPONSOR: Paulin TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to the authority of a
hospice medical director to sign a death certificate
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL::
Adds the authority of a hospice medical director to the list of author-
ized personnel that can sign a death certificate.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS::
Section 1 amends Paragraph (a) of subdivision 4 of section 4141 of the 2
public health law to include hospice medical directors and physicians
designated by the medical director as authorized personnel to sign a
death certificate.
JUSTIFICATION::
In recent years, funeral directors have expressed issues with medical
certification of death certificates for patients under hospice care,
explaining there is confusion around the responsibility of certification
for these cases.
In some parts of the state, this uncertainty does not exist, and the
hospice providers sign the death certificate. However, in other parts of
the state, this is an ongoing issue that funeral directors must try to
navigate.
This bill will make it clear that once a patient is receiving hospice
care, the medical director can sign the death certificate. In New York
City, the local Department of Health has already mandated that the
hospice medical director sign the death certificate.
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY::
New bill.
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS FOR STATE AND LOCAL GOVERNMENTS::
None.
EFFECTIVE DATE::
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
9525
IN ASSEMBLY
March 20, 2024
___________
Introduced by M. of A. PAULIN -- read once and referred to the Committee
on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the authority of a
hospice medical director to sign a death certificate
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Paragraph (a) of subdivision 4 of section 4141 of the
2 public health law, as amended by chapter 153 of the laws of 2011, is
3 amended to read as follows:
4 (a) The medical certificate shall be made, dated, and signed by the
5 physician or nurse practitioner, if any, last in attendance on the
6 deceased, or the hospice medical director or a physician designated by
7 such director.
8 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14677-01-4
