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A07488 Summary:

A07488 Actions:

A07488 Memo:

NEW YORK STATE ASSEMBLY
MEMORANDUM IN SUPPORT OF LEGISLATION
 submitted in accordance with Assembly Rule III, Sec 1(f)



 
BILL NUMBER: A7488
 
SPONSOR: Gottfried (MS)

 
TITLE OF BILL:  An act to amend the public health law, in relation to
including physical therapists and occupational therapists as telehealth
providers
 
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL: to include physical therapists and
occupational therapists among the health care professionals who may
deliver health care services using electronic information and communi-
cation technologies.
 
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS: Would amend subdivision 2 of section
2999-cc of the Public Health Law to add physical therapists and occupa-

tional therapists to the list of health care professionals who may
provide services using telehealth systems (physician, physician assist-
ant, dentist, nurse practitioner, nurse, podiatrist, optometrist,
psychologist, social worker, speech language pathologist, midwife,
certified diabetes educator, certified asthma educator, certified genet-
ic counselor).
 
 
JUSTIFICATION: Telehealth is the application of evaluation, consulta-
tion, preventive and therapeutic services delivered through telecommuni-
cation and information technologies, allowing greater access to care.
Physical and occupational therapy practitioners can effectively use
telehealth to provide services from a location that is physically
distant from the patient, to benefit the patient where and when the
patient needs it most.
 
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY: New bill
 
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS: None
 
 

EFFECTIVE DATE: on the same date and in the same manner as chapter 550
of the laws of 2014.

A07488 Text:

 
                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                          7488
 
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
 
                   IN ASSEMBLY
 
                                      May 13, 2015
                                       ___________
 
        Introduced  by  M. of A. GOTTFRIED, RUSSELL -- read once and referred to
          the Committee on Health
 
        AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to including physical
          therapists and occupational therapists as telehealth providers
 
          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
 
     1    Section  1. Subdivision 2 of section 2999-cc of the public health law,
     2  as added by chapter 6 of the  laws  of  2015,  is  amended  to  read  as
     3  follows:
     4    2. "Telehealth provider" means:
     5    (a) a physician licensed pursuant to article one hundred thirty-one of
     6  the education law;
     7    (b)  a  physician  assistant  licensed pursuant to article one hundred
     8  thirty-one-B of the education law;
     9    (c) a dentist licensed pursuant to article one hundred thirty-three of
    10  the education law;
    11    (d) a nurse practitioner licensed  pursuant  to  article  one  hundred
    12  thirty-nine of the education law;
    13    (e)  a  registered professional nurse licensed pursuant to article one
    14  hundred thirty-nine of the education law only when such nurse is receiv-
    15  ing patient-specific health information or medical  data  at  a  distant
    16  site by means of remote patient monitoring;
    17    (f) a podiatrist licensed pursuant to article one hundred forty-one of
    18  the education law;
    19    (g)  an  optometrist  licensed  pursuant to article one hundred forty-
    20  three of the education law;
    21    (h) a psychologist licensed pursuant to  article  one  hundred  fifty-
    22  three of the education law;
    23    (i)  a  social  worker licensed pursuant to article one hundred fifty-
    24  four of the education law;
 
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD10951-01-5
        A. 7488                             2
 
     1    (j) a speech language pathologist or audiologist licensed pursuant  to
     2  article one hundred fifty-nine of the education law;
     3    (k)  a  midwife  licensed pursuant to article one hundred forty of the
     4  education law;
     5    (l) a physical therapist licensed  pursuant  to  article  one  hundred
     6  thirty-six of the education law;
     7    (m) an occupational therapist licensed pursuant to article one hundred
     8  fifty-six of the education law;
     9    (n)  a  person who is certified as a diabetes educator by the National
    10  Certification Board for Diabetes  Educators,  or  a  successor  national
    11  certification  board,  or  provided by such a professional who is affil-
    12  iated with a program certified by the American Diabetes Association, the
    13  American Association of Diabetes Educators, the Indian Health  Services,
    14  or any other national accreditation organization approved by the federal
    15  centers for medicare and medicaid services;
    16    [(m)]  (o)  a  person  who  is  certified as an asthma educator by the
    17  National Asthma Educator Certification Board, or  a  successor  national
    18  certification board;
    19    [(n)]  (p)  a  person  who  is certified as a genetic counselor by the
    20  American Board of Genetic Counseling, or a  successor  national  certif-
    21  ication board;
    22    [(o)]  (q) a hospital as defined in article twenty-eight of this chap-
    23  ter;
    24    [(p)] (r) a home care services agency as defined in article thirty-six
    25  of this chapter;
    26    [(q)] (s) a hospice as defined in article forty of this chapter; and
    27    [(r)] (t) any other provider as determined by the commissioner  pursu-
    28  ant to regulation.
    29    §  2.  This  act  shall  take  effect on the same date and in the same
    30  manner as chapter 550 of the laws of 2014 takes effect.