Directs the commissioner of health to develop screening tools and procedures to be used by health care providers to detect elder abuse or maltreatment in their patients.
NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7379
SPONSOR: Lupardo
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to screening for
elder abuse and maltreatment
 
PURPOSE:
This legislation will require the Commissioner of Health to develop a
screening tool to identify abuse in elderly individuals that may be used
by health care providers.
 
SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS:
Section 1: Amends the Public Health Law to add a new Article 19. Arti-
cle 19 will require the Commissioner of Health to develop a screening
tool to identify various forms of abuse or maltreatment in elderly
patients that may be used by health care providers during courses of
treatment, including but not limited to, annual physical exams or
patient screenings under the uniform assessment system for long term
care.
Section 2: Establishes the effective date.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Elder abuse has emerged nationally as one of the most underreported
crimes. It has been noted that elderly victims who are experiencing
abuse from loved ones, friends, or neighbors will often refuse help out
of fear, embarrassment, or the desire to protect their abuser. Often
this will lead to the continuation of cases that compromise the finan-
cial, physical, and mental health of victims. It cannot be overstated
that these cases have very real impacts and can lead to tragic conse-
quences. In fact, it has been noted that elders who experience abuse,
even moderate in severity, have a 300% percent higher risk of death when
compared to those who have not been abused. In fact, there are high
correlations between elder abuse and maltreatment with hospitalization
rates, readmissions, and as aforementioned, the mortality of victims.
Because health care practitioners are in the unique position of seeing
patients at regular intervals, as well as developing long-term relation-
ships of trust, they have significant opportunities to help identify
elder abuse and maltreatment.
Given the trust and rapport developed through the relationship between
provider and patient, national healthcare agencies, including the
Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) have begun implementing
measures that will increase identification and reporting of suspected
abuse across settings and provider types. In 2004, the U.S. Preventive
Services Task Force found that there were no reliable screening tools
available to identify abuse of elderly or vulnerable adults in the
primary care setting. As a result, CMS began to review its physician
quality reporting system measure, and introduced an Elder Maltreatment
Screen and Follow-up Plan.
As national entities continue to refine intervention techniques and
tools for providers to recognize abuse and maltreatment in the elderly
community, the state must begin to explore these issues and provide
proper guidance to our healthcare community as well. This legislation
will require the Commissioner of Health to develop a voluntary screening
tool for elder abuse and maltreatment for physicians, physician assist-
ants, and nurse practitioners, in order to encourage screenings across
settings at important intervals, including annual physicals and as part
of the uniform assessment system for long term care. To that end, the
tool will provide practitioners with guidance that articulates, among
other things, common definitions of abuse, questions that may be used
for those who have cognitive impairments, and most of all, a list of
resources that may be provided to those patients identified as being
victims of abuse.
Health care providers play an integral role in our communities, partic-
ularly with respect to their ability to identify important changes in
the life conditions of their patients and their quality of life. As the
aging population continues to grow, we must support this vital relation
 
LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
2016: S.6925 Passed Senate
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None.
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect immediately.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
7379
2017-2018 Regular Sessions
IN ASSEMBLY
April 25, 2017
___________
Introduced by M. of A. LUPARDO -- read once and referred to the Commit-
tee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to screening for
elder abuse and maltreatment
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 19
2 to read as follows:
3 ARTICLE 19
4 ELDER ABUSE AND MALTREATMENT SCREENING
5 Section 1900. Legislative purpose.
6 1901. Elder abuse and maltreatment screening.
7 § 1900. Legislative purpose. The correlation between elder abuse and
8 maltreatment with increased hospitalizations, admissions and mortality
9 highlights the need for increased medical interventions, particularly as
10 New York continues to implement national healthcare reform initiatives.
11 A screening tool, to be utilized by medical professionals at important
12 junctures in the lives of those sixty years of age and older, presents a
13 significant opportunity for trusted medical providers to help identify
14 high risk patients and help to ensure their continued health and safety.
15 § 1901. Elder abuse and maltreatment screening. 1. The commissioner
16 shall establish a screening tool to identify abuse in elderly individ-
17 uals. Physicians, physician assistants and nurse practitioners may use
18 the tool to assist in identifying abuse or maltreatment in their elderly
19 patients during the course of treatment including, but not limited to,
20 annual physical exams or as part of patient screening under the uniform
21 assessment system for long term care as established by the department.
22 2. The screening tool shall include, but not be limited to:
23 a. a uniform intervention questionnaire with a common scale that can
24 be used across health care environments and populations to assist in the
25 identification of high risk patients;
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD04888-01-7
A. 7379 2
1 b. questions that can be used for both cognitively intact as well as
2 cognitively impaired individuals;
3 c. standardized intervention protocols including specific language and
4 uniform definitions of physical, sexual, emotional, and psychological
5 abuse, in addition to, neglect, abandonment, financial or material
6 exploitation, self-neglect and unwarranted control;
7 d. a list of resources to address the needs of patients identified as
8 being victims of abuse; and
9 e. documentation in a reportable format that may be used by the prac-
10 titioner to report suspected elder abuse and maltreatment cases to the
11 department for the purposes of tracking prevalence.
12 3. The screening tool shall be culturally and linguistically appropri-
13 ate in accordance with rules and regulations promulgated by the commis-
14 sioner.
15 4. Patients shall not be required to be subject to screening if they
16 refuse to participate or are in an urgent or emergent situation.
17 5. This section shall not affect the scope of practice of any health
18 care practitioner or diminish any authority or legal or professional
19 obligations of any health care practitioner.
20 6. The commissioner shall promulgate any rules and regulations neces-
21 sary to implement the provisions of this section.
22 § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.