STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
2321
2023-2024 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 19, 2023
___________
Introduced by Sen. BAILEY -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
printed to be committed to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to the rights of
patients to receive medical information in an understandable format
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Subdivision 1 of section 2803 of the public health law is
2 amended by adding a new paragraph (m) to read as follows:
3 (m) The statement regarding patient rights and responsibilities,
4 required pursuant to paragraph (g) of this subdivision, shall include a
5 provision informing the patient of his or her right to receive informa-
6 tion and documents including, but not limited to information and docu-
7 ments related to such patient's discharge, diagnosis, treatment or test
8 results in plain English or in a language or format that is understand-
9 able to the patient or such patient's family or caregiver. Wherever
10 practicable, such information and documents shall avoid the use of
11 medical terminology and instead use words with common and everyday mean-
12 ings to facilitate understandability. Such information and documents
13 shall be in addition to the information and documents ordinarily
14 received by the patient or such patient's family or caregiver.
15 § 2. Subdivision 3 of section 2803-c of the public health law is
16 amended by adding a new paragraph s to read as follows:
17 s. A statement informing the patient of his or her right to receive
18 information and documents including, but not limited to information and
19 documents related to such patient's discharge, diagnosis, treatment or
20 test results in plain English or in a language or format that is under-
21 standable to the patient or such patient's family or caregiver. Wherev-
22 er practicable, such information and documents shall avoid the use of
23 medical terminology and instead use words with common and everyday mean-
24 ings to facilitate understandability. Such information and documents
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD05648-01-3
S. 2321 2
1 shall be in addition to the information and documents ordinarily
2 received by the patient or such patient's family or caregiver.
3 § 3. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after
4 it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amend-
5 ment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implemen-
6 tation of this act on its effective date are authorized to be made on or
7 before such date.