Rpld §7.49, Ment Hyg L (as proposed in S.4253 & A.6506)
Requires the commissioner of the office of mental health to provide monthly status reports of the community investments and the impact on inpatient census to the chair of the senate finance committee and the chair of the assembly ways and means committee and to post such report on the office's website.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A613
SPONSOR: Gunther TITLE OF BILL:
An act in relation to requiring monthly status reports of community
investments and the impact on inpatient census; and to repeal certain
provisions of the mental hygiene law relating thereto
PURPOSE:
To provide transparency and information for the purpose of ensuring
sufficient mental health services are available to those in need.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 repeals § 7.49 of the mental hygiene law, as added by a chap-
ter of the laws of 2022, and as proposed in A.6506 and 5.4253.
Section 2 Requires the commissioner of the office of mental health (0MH)
to provide monthly status reports of the community investments and the
impact on the state operated inpatient census to the chair of the chair
of the assembly ways and means committee and the senate finance commit-
tee. The report will be posted on OMB's publicly accessible website and
at a minimum the report must include the following information: (a)
state operated psychiatric facility census; (b) occurrence of census
exceeding budgeted capacity; (c) occurrence of out of catchment area
placements; (d) admissions and discharges; (e) rate of Medicaid psychi-
atric inpatient readmissions to any hospital within thirty days of
discharge; (f) Medicaid emergency room psychiatric visits; (g)
descriptions of new community service investments; (h) average length of
stay and number of long-term stay patients; and (i) an explanation of
any material census reductions, when known to the facility.
Section 3 provides the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Since 2014, the Office of Mental Health have provided monthly reports
detailing the census of each inpatient hospital operated by OMB, out of
catchment placements, admissions and discharges, rate of inpatient read-
missions, descriptions of new community service investments, average
length of stays and the number of long-term stay patients. These
reports allow all lawmakers the ability to see monthly data and make
appropriate policy to ensure New Yorkers have adequate mental health
treatment available.
This bill would promote transparency and provide information to assist
the legislature in policy making decisions related to availability of
mental health treatment services and ensure public access to mental
health inpatient bed census data and community reinvestment into the
mental health system.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
This is a new bill.
BUDGET IMPLICATIONS:
None noted.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same manner as a
chapter of the laws of 2022, amending the mental hygiene law relating to
requiring monthly status reports of community investments and the impact
on inpatient census, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4253
and A. 6506, takes effect; provided, however, that section two of this
act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it shall
have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
613
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
January 10, 2023
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Mental Health
AN ACT in relation to requiring monthly status reports of community
investments and the impact on inpatient census; and to repeal certain
provisions of the mental hygiene law relating thereto
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 7.49 of the mental hygiene law, as added by a chap-
2 ter of the laws of 2022, amending the mental hygiene law relating to
3 requiring monthly status reports of community investments and the impact
4 on inpatient census, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 4253
5 and A. 6506, is REPEALED.
6 § 2. The commissioner of the office of mental health shall provide
7 monthly status reports of the community investments and the impact on
8 inpatient census to the chair of the senate finance committee and the
9 chair of the assembly ways and means committee and shall post such
10 reports on the office of mental health's publicly accessible website.
11 Such reports shall include, but not be limited to:
12 (a) state operated psychiatric facility census;
13 (b) occurrence of census exceeding budgeted capacity;
14 (c) occurrence of out of catchment area placements;
15 (d) admissions and discharges;
16 (e) rate of Medicaid psychiatric inpatient readmissions to any hospi-
17 tal within thirty days of discharge;
18 (f) Medicaid emergency room psychiatric visits;
19 (g) descriptions of new community service investments;
20 (h) average length of stay and number of long-term stay patients; and
21 (i) an explanation of any material census reductions, when known to
22 the facility.
23 § 3. This act shall take effect on the same date and in the same
24 manner as a chapter of the laws of 2022, amending the mental hygiene law
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03938-01-3
A. 613 2
1 relating to requiring monthly status reports of community investments
2 and the impact on inpatient census, as proposed in legislative bills
3 numbers S. 4253 and A. 6506, takes effect; provided, however, that
4 section two of this act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth
5 day after it shall have become a law.
