Establishes the office of hospice and palliative care access and quality to provide expertise and input on hospice and palliative care policy development and regulation.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A4717
SPONSOR: Burdick TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
office of hospice and palliative care access and quality
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
The purpose of this legislation is to protect patient safety, improve
care and facilitate communication between the Department of Health and.
Hospices and Palliative Care providers to assure access to affordable
high-quality health services for persons with serious or life-threaten-
ing illness.
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends public health law to create the office of hospice and
palliative care access and quality within the Department of Health and
requires the appointment of a director of the office. This sections
further establishes the powers and duties of the office.
Section 2 establishes the effective date.
JUSTIFICATION:
Hospice and Palliative Care providers serve an important role in our
health care system, providing care to individuals with serious and life-
limiting illnesses. They have a responsibility to provide some of New
York State's Most vulnerable individuals and their families with expert
medical care, pain management, and emotional, social, and spiritual
counseling.
Yet despite the critical role Hospice and Palliative care plays in our
health care-system, their services are severely underutilized. New York
State currently RANKS 51ST IN THE NATION for Hospice Medicare utiliza-
tion. This underutilization results in remarkably high hospitalization
readmissions, creating additional burdens on New York State's already
overwhelmed hospital finances and resources. These longstanding issues
have only been exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic, making the need for
Hospice and Palliative Care representation within the Department of
Health more urgent than ever.
This bill would require the DOH to establish a Director of Hospice and
Palliative Care Access and Quality within the Office of Primary Care and
Health Systems Management, who would be responsible for coordinating
with licensed Hospice and Palliative Care providers across New York
state. The director will work to remove common barriers that impede
access to Hospice and Palliative Care by coordinating policy and regu-
lations within New York's Department of Health and serving as a liaison
between the DOH and Hospice and Palliative Care providers and the indi-
viduals they serve. The director would also be responsible for increas-
ing public awareness around Hospice and Palliative Care services by
coordinating a statewide educational campaign that encourages individ-
uals to discuss end-of-life care desires with their families and health
care professionals.
Providers of Hospice and Palliative care have cited numerous examples
where the lack of coordination between these providers and DOH created
unintentional and unnecessary barriers to their services, interfered
with their ability to provide care, and increased burdens on our health
care system. By creating a director to serve as a liaison to Hospice and
Palliative care providers, New York will improve communication between
the providers and DOH, enhance Hospice and Palliative care usage,
prevent unnecessary hospital readmissions, and save resources.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2021-2022: A.8881A/S.8206A - Passed Assembly and Senate - Vetoed by
Governor
2023-2024: A5587/S4858 - Passed Assembly and Senate - Vetoed by Governor
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
TBD.
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.
