Amd §2803-t, Pub Health L; amd §2, Chap of 2024 (as proposed in S.8666-A & A.8560-A)
Requires hospitals record information during intake and registration if a patient requires a disability accommodation; allows such patient to decline such request for information.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2675
2025-2026 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 22, 2025
___________
Introduced by Sen. FAHY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Rules
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring general
hospitals to obtain and record certain information during the intake
and registration of a patient, and to amend a chapter of the laws of
2024 amending the public health law relating to requiring hospitals to
ask patients if they have a disability that requires accommodation
under The Americans with Disabilities Act, as proposed in legislative
bills numbers S. 8666-A and A. 8560-A, in relation to the effective-
ness thereof
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Section 2803-t of the public health law, as amended by a
2 chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public health law relating to
3 requiring hospitals to ask patients if they have a disability that
4 requires accommodation under The Americans with Disabilities Act, as
5 proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8666-A and A. 8560-A, is
6 amended to read as follows:
7 § 2803-t. Preadmission information. 1. Any general hospital that
8 provides preadmission information to a patient, shall offer a blind or
9 visually impaired patient a large print version or, at the patient's or
10 patient's representative's request, an audio recording, to be made
11 available to such patient or such patient's representative on compact
12 disc or other medium as the hospital may offer, or as an electronically
13 transmitted digital file, in addition to a written copy of any preadmis-
14 sion information.
15 2. Each general hospital, during the intake and registration of each
16 patient, shall [include a] obtain and record information as specified
17 by the department in regulation or guidance to determine whether such
18 patient requires a reasonable accommodation for a disability [accommo-
19 dations needs assessment on their patient intake forms. The following
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD02722-01-5
S. 2675 2
1 statement and questions related to a patient's disability accommodations
2 needs assessment shall read as follows:
3 "Please note, the following questions regarding your disability status
4 are voluntary and you are not required to answer the questions if you do
5 not wish to.
6 (a) Does the patient have a disability that requires accommodation
7 under The Americans with Disabilities Act?
8 (b) If so, what is the nature of the patient's disability?
9 (c) Is the patient requesting a reasonable accommodation?
10 (d) If so, what is the reasonable accommodation requested?
11 (e) Does the patient wish to discuss accommodations with their health-
12 care provider?"].
13 3. Nothing contained herein shall require a patient to answer the
14 inquiries about a disability if they wish not to do so.
15 § 2. Section 2 of a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public
16 health law relating to requiring hospitals to ask patients if they have
17 a disability that requires accommodation under The Americans with Disa-
18 bilities Act, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8666-A and A.
19 8560-A, is amended to read as follows:
20 § 2. This act shall take effect on the [ninetieth] one hundred eight-
21 ieth day after it shall have become a law.
22 § 3. This act shall take effect immediately; provided, however, that
23 section one of this act shall take effect on the same date and in the
24 same manner as a chapter of the laws of 2024 amending the public health
25 law relating to requiring hospitals to ask patients if they have a disa-
26 bility that requires accommodation under The Americans with Disabilities
27 Act, as proposed in legislative bills numbers S. 8666-A and A. 8560-A,
28 takes effect.
