Requires the office of mental health to develop educational materials on effective discharge planning of individuals with a mental health disorder who are discharged from a hospital and provide such materials to general hospitals across the state.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
BILL NUMBER: A10644
SPONSOR: Gunther TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to
a hospital's policies and procedures regarding discharge of individuals
with a mental health disorder
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To provide information to individuals with mental illness when they are
discharged from a hospital
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 adds a section 7.24 to the mental hygiene law to set forth
policies and procedures for discharge of an individual with a mental
illness
JUSTIFICATION:
Individuals with serious mental illnesses who receive inpatient psychi-
atric treatment are at high risk of experiencing adverse events and poor
outcomes during the period immediately following discharge. It is wide-
ly endorsed that standard care and discharge planning practices from
hospitals should include communicating with outpatient providers regard-
ing treatment plans, scheduling timely appointments for outpatient
follow-up care, and forwarding discharge summaries to outpatient provid-
ers. Adopting standard discharge policies as described above have been
associated with improved attendance at outpatient psychiatric services.
A study published by the American Psychiatric Association (APA) found
that hospital providers reported completing at least one of the three
discharge planning practices for 85% of discharges, and there was a
significant association between conducting discharge planning practices
and promptness to attending the first outpatient visit.
This bill would help to reduce readmissions for individuals with a
mental health disorder who are discharged from a hospital by requiring
the Office of Mental Health (OMH) develop educational materials on
effective discharge planning and provide them to general hospitals
across the state.
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
New bill
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
Minimal
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10644
IN ASSEMBLY
May 10, 2018
___________
Introduced by M. of A. GUNTHER -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Mental Health
AN ACT to amend the mental hygiene law, in relation to a hospital's
policies and procedures regarding discharge of individuals with a
mental health disorder
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The mental hygiene law is amended by adding a new section
2 7.24 to read as follows:
3 § 7.24 Mental health disorder hospital discharge; policies and proce-
4 dures.
5 (a) The office, in consultation with the department of health, shall
6 develop or utilize existing educational materials to be provided to
7 general hospitals to disseminate to individuals with a documented mental
8 health disorder or who appear to have or be at risk for a mental health
9 disorder during discharge planning pursuant to section twenty-eight
10 hundred three-i of the public health law. Such materials shall include
11 information regarding the various types of treatment and support
12 services, including but not limited to: inpatient, outpatient treatment;
13 how to recognize the need for treatment services; information for indi-
14 viduals to determine what type and level of treatment is most appropri-
15 ate and what resources are available to individuals; and any other
16 information the commissioner and the commissioner of health deem appro-
17 priate.
18 (b) The commissioner in collaboration with the commissioner of health
19 shall assist and provide guidance for every general hospital to:
20 1. utilize existing, or in addition to current policies and proce-
21 dures, develop, maintain and disseminate, written policies and proce-
22 dures, for the identification, assessment and referral of individuals
23 with a documented mental health disorder or who appear to have or be at
24 risk for a mental health disorder; and
25 2. establish and implement training, within existing, or in addition
26 to current training programs, for all individuals licensed or certified
27 pursuant to title eight of the education law who provide direct patient
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15747-01-8
A. 10644 2
1 care regarding the policies and procedures established pursuant to this
2 section.
3 (c) If a general hospital does not directly provide mental health
4 disorder services, then the commissioner, in consultation with the
5 commissioner of health, shall provide the necessary information to refer
6 individuals in need of such services to and coordinate with mental
7 health service programs that provide such services, and have been issued
8 an operating certificate pursuant to article thirty-one of this chapter.
9 § 2. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
10 it shall have become a law; provided, however, that the commissioner of
11 health and the commissioner of mental health shall promulgate any rules
12 and regulations necessary for the implementation of this act on or
13 before such effective date.
