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A07671 Summary:

BILL NOA07671
 
SAME ASSAME AS S07241
 
SPONSORFahy
 
COSPNSR
 
MLTSPNSR
 
Amd 230, Pub Health L
 
Requires certain health care providers to disclose the fact that the provider is on probation to current and new patients.
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A07671 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)
 
BILL NUMBER: A7671
 
SPONSOR: Fahy
  TITLE OF BILL: An act to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring certain health care providers to disclose the fact that the provider is on probation to current and new patients   PURPOSE: To strengthen protections and empower patients.by requiring licensee disclosure of disciplinary status under specified circumstances, and permitting patients to decline direct patient care from the licensee being disciplined without penalty if they so choose.   SUMMARY OF PROVISIONS: Section 1: Amends the public health law by adding a new paragraph C to subdivision 18 of section 230 in relation to disclosure of disciplinary status to new and current patients. Paragraph C of subdivision 18 of section 230 details which health care providers this act concerns; provides definitions; specifies under what circumstances disclosure of disciplinary status is required, as well as what information is to be disclosed to current and new patients; stipu- lates that the disclosure of disciplinary status shall be provided to the patient, or to the patient's guardian, health care surrogate, or health care agent, who may elect to cancel the appointment or to decline direct patient care from the licensee being disciplined; specifies that licensees are not required to disclose disciplinary status prior to providing direct patient care if in the health care professional's judg- ment an emergency exists and an attempt to secure consent would result in delay of treatment that would increase the risk to the person's life or health; stipulates that patients and patients' insurance companies shall not be charged for appointments canceled upon being provided with the disclosure; provides penalties for non-compliance; and stipulates that the Commissioner of Health shall promulgate regulations and issue forms to implement the requirements of this act. Section 2: Establishes the effective date.   JUSTIFICATION: The New York State Department of Health (NYS DOH) has procedures in place to investigate reports of professional misconduct as well as to determine appropriate disciplinary measures of licensed physicians, physician assistants, and specialist assistants. Information is posted on the NYS DOH Office of Professional Misconduct's website regarding disciplinary actions taken against health care providers who have engaged in professional misconduct. These procedures are designed to protect New Yorkers from licensee misconduct; however, several indicators point to the need for implemen- tation of additional measures. Physician misconduct and discipline have gained media and scholarly attention during recent years, which has illuminated variations in the practices and performance of state medical boards. In 2016, a study conducted by University of Michigan Medical School researchers revealed that New York was one of the states with the lowest rates of disciplinary actions.(1) A study of serious disciplinary actions undertaken by state medical boards from 2017 - 2019 indicated that New York, with the third highest number of licensed physicians, had the sixth highest rate of serious disciplinary actions in the U.S., which was 30% lower than the highest ranking state.(2) There has been extensive media reporting on physicians nationwide who have committed sexual misconduct with patients and who continued to practice. One such article highlighted the issue in New York (New York Allowed a Sexual Predator to Practice Medicine for Decades), documenting the case of a NYS-licensed physician who, following multiple allegations of sexual misconduct with patients, violated his probationary terms with Unsuspecting patients by examining female patients without a chaperone and committing additional acts of sexual misconduct. (3) In 2020, the Federation of State Medical Boards issued a report and recommendations on physician sexual misconduct for state medical boards to help address this critical issue, however, medical boards are not required to imple- ment the recommendations.(4) NYS DOH posts the disciplinary status of physicians, physician assist- ants, and specialist assistants online; however, new and current patients may not.be aware that it is possible to access disciplinary status and where. All New Yorkers do not have access to the interne or necessary technology or know-how to look up this information. The purpose of this.bill is to further protect New Yorkers by requiring that certain licensees who have committed professional misconduct provide notification of their disciplinary status prior to the first visit of current and new patients following the disciplinary order.   LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: 2021-22: A.8050/ 5.485-A   FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None.   EFFECTIVE DATE: This act shall take effect January 1, 2024 and shall apply to all disci- plinary orders issued on or after January 1, 2024. Effective immediate- ly, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective date. (1) For Doctors Behaving Badly, Punishments Vary by State:   HTTPS://WWWW.MICH/GANMEDICINE.ORGTHEALTH-LABKLOCTORSBEHAVING- BADLY-PUNISHMENTS-VARY-STATE (2) Ranking Of The Rate Of State Medical Boards' Serious Disciplinary Actions, 2017-2019:.   HTTP://WWW.CITIZEN.ORG/WP-CONTENTIUPLOADS/2574.PDF (3) See:   HTTPS://WWW.VIL LAGEVOI CE.COM/2018/03/29/NEW-YORKALLOWED-A-SEXUAL-PREDATOR-TO-PRACTICE-MED ICINE-FORDECADES/ (4) Physician Sexual Misconduct: Report and Recommendations of the FSMB Workgroup on Physician Sexual Misconduct:   HTTPSWWWW.FSMB.ORGISITEASSETS/ADVOCACY/POICIES/REPORT-OF- WORKGROUPON- SEXUAL-PIISCONDUCTADOPTED-VERSION.PDF
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A07671 Text:



 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          7671
 
                               2023-2024 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      June 1, 2023
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. FAHY -- read once and referred to the Committee
          on Higher Education
 
        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to requiring  certain
          health  care  providers  to  disclose the fact that the provider is on
          probation to current and new patients

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1.  Subdivision 18 of section 230 of the public health law is
     2  amended by adding a new paragraph (c) to read as follows:
     3    (c) (i) As used in this paragraph:
     4    (A) "licensee" means a physician, physician's assistant, or a special-
     5  ist's assistant licensed under title eight  of  the  education  law  who
     6  provides direct patient care;
     7    (B)  "health care representative" means a health care agent designated
     8  by an adult pursuant to article twenty-nine-C of this chapter, a  health
     9  care  surrogate  selected  to make a health care decision on behalf of a
    10  patient pursuant to section twenty-nine hundred  ninety-four-d  of  this
    11  chapter,  a  guardian authorized to decide about health care pursuant to
    12  article eighty-one of the mental hygiene law, or  a  guardian  appointed
    13  pursuant  to  section seventeen hundred fifty-B of the surrogate's court
    14  procedure act; and
    15    (C) "health care" means any treatment, service, or procedure to  diag-
    16  nose or treat an individual's physical or mental condition.
    17    (ii)  Except  as  provided  by subparagraph (v) of this paragraph, the
    18  office of professional misconduct shall require a physician, physician's
    19  assistant or specialist's assistant who has been found to have committed
    20  misconduct by the office of professional misconduct or found  guilty  or
    21  liable of an offense in a court of law pursuant to subparagraph (iii) of
    22  this  paragraph  to disclose the following to current or new patients or
    23  the patient's health care representative on a separate written document:
    24  his or her status with the office of professional misconduct or  from  a
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD01053-06-3

        A. 7671                             2
 
     1  court of law; the length and expiration date of any penalties associated
     2  with  such  finding  of misconduct; the cause or causes for disciplinary
     3  action stated in the order issued by the office of professional  miscon-
     4  duct or a court of law; all practice restrictions placed on the licensee
     5  by  the office of professional misconduct or a court of law; the address
     6  of the office of professional misconduct's website; and  the  office  of
     7  professional  misconduct's  telephone  number.    This  notice  shall be
     8  provided prior to the patient's first visit, or  prior  to  the  patient
     9  receiving  health  care  from  the  physician, physician's assistant and
    10  specialist's assistant following the finding of misconduct by the office
    11  of professional misconduct or of guilt or liability by a court of law of
    12  an offense in any of the circumstances listed in clause (A), (B), (C) or
    13  (D) of subparagraph (iii) of this  paragraph.  A  licensee  required  to
    14  provide  a  disclosure  pursuant to this paragraph shall obtain from the
    15  patient, or their health care representative, a separate, signed copy of
    16  that disclosure prior to the patient entering the room where the  licen-
    17  see  performs  the  treatment, service, procedure or other direct health
    18  care; or in a hospital, ambulatory care center,  or  other  health  care
    19  facility prior to the licensee performing any treatment, service, proce-
    20  dure or other direct health care.
    21    (iii)  The  physician, physician's assistant or specialist's assistant
    22  shall provide the disclosure under the following circumstances:
    23    (A) The physician, physician's assistant or specialist's assistant has
    24  been found to have committed misconduct by the  office  of  professional
    25  misconduct  or found liable or guilty by a court of law after a determi-
    26  nation or stipulated settlement in of any of the following offenses:
    27    (1) the commission of any act of sexual abuse,  misconduct,  exploita-
    28  tion,  or  relations  with a patient or client as defined in article one
    29  hundred thirty, article two  hundred  thirty,  or  article  two  hundred
    30  sixty-three of the penal law;
    31    (2)  drug  or  alcohol abuse directly resulting in harm to patients or
    32  the extent that such use impairs the ability of the individual to  prac-
    33  tice safely;
    34    (3) criminal conviction directly involving harm to patient health; or
    35    (4)  inappropriate  prescribing  resulting  in  harm to patients and a
    36  probationary period of five years or more.
    37    (B) The office of professional misconduct or a court  of  law  ordered
    38  any  of  the  following  regardless if the individual has been placed on
    39  probation:
    40    (1) a third-party chaperone shall be present when the individual exam-
    41  ines patients as a result of sexual misconduct; or
    42    (2) the individual shall  submit  to  drug  testing  as  a  result  of
    43  substance abuse.
    44    (C)  The  individual has not successfully completed a training program
    45  or any associated examinations required by the  office  of  professional
    46  misconduct or a court of law as a condition of probation.
    47    (D)  The  individual  has  been on probation for any offense more than
    48  three times.
    49    (iv) The individual shall obtain from each patient,  or  their  health
    50  care  representative,  a  signed  copy  of  the disclosure following the
    51  disclosure described  in  subparagraph  (iii)  of  this  paragraph  that
    52  includes  a  written  explanation  of  how  the patient can find further
    53  information on the licensee's actions  on  the  office  of  professional
    54  misconduct enforcement actions' website.
    55    (v)  The  individual  shall  not be required to provide the disclosure
    56  prior to performing any treatment, service, procedure, or  other  direct

        A. 7671                             3
 
     1  health  care as required by subdivision three of this section, if in the
     2  health care professional's judgment, an emergency exists and the  person
     3  is  in  immediate  need  of  medical attention, and an attempt to secure
     4  consent would result in delay of treatment which would increase the risk
     5  to  such person's life or health, or if the patient is incapacitated and
     6  the patient's health care representative is not reasonably available.
     7    (vi) Should a patient, or their health care representative,  elect  to
     8  cancel  the  patient's  appointment,  treatment,  service, procedure, or
     9  other direct health care with the individual upon  being  provided  with
    10  the disclosure required by subparagraph (iii) of this paragraph, neither
    11  the patient nor the patient's insurance company shall be charged for the
    12  appointment.
    13    (vii)  Any  physician, physician's assistant or specialist's assistant
    14  who violates the provisions of this paragraph  shall  be  subject  to  a
    15  penalty  not  to exceed two thousand dollars. Any individual who commits
    16  subsequent, willful violations of the provisions of this paragraph shall
    17  have his or her license suspended for a period of time to be  determined
    18  by the office of professional misconduct.
    19    (viii)  The commissioner shall promulgate regulations to implement the
    20  requirements of this paragraph, and shall issue  forms  set  forth  that
    21  shall be used to satisfy the written requirement specified in this para-
    22  graph which shall also include:
    23    (A) provisions that address a health care facility's responsibility to
    24  ensure  the  patient  receives care from an appropriate individual or to
    25  transfer the patient if the patient refuses  care  from  the  individual
    26  that has been found to have committed misconduct or has been found to be
    27  liable  or  guilty  of an offense by a court of law pursuant to subpara-
    28  graph (iii) of this paragraph and another individual is not available at
    29  the health care facility to provide care; and
    30    (B) provisions related to enforcing of the requirements of this  para-
    31  graph.
    32    § 2. This act shall take effect January 1, 2024 and shall apply to all
    33  probationary  orders  issued  on or after such effective date. Effective
    34  immediately, the addition, amendment and/or repeal of any rule or  regu-
    35  lation  necessary  for  the  implementation of this act on its effective
    36  date are authorized to be made and completed on or before such effective
    37  date.
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