Add Art 25 Title 6-A §§2594-a - 2594-c, Pub Health L
Requires the department of health to establish and maintain the New York state community doula directory for doulas on such department's website for the purposes of Medicaid reimbursement and promoting doula services to Medicaid recipients; establishes criteria for admittance into the New York state community doula directory; makes related provisions.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
10333
IN ASSEMBLY
May 13, 2022
___________
Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Solages) --
read once and referred to the Committee on Health
AN ACT to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
New York state community doula directory for doulas serving Medicaid
patients
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings and declarations. The legislature
2 hereby finds and declares that poor maternal and infant health outcomes
3 and disparities are a public health crisis that pose a threat to the
4 health, welfare, and quality of life of child bearing people, infants
5 and their families. The legislature acknowledges the imbalances of how
6 doula care is treated in different communities. Between the rising costs
7 of reproductive care, the absence of a federal doula Medicaid framework,
8 and the existing barriers to equitable prenatal, intranatal, and post-
9 partum care services, the legislature hereby finds the importance in
10 establishing a community doula directory to increase access to care.
11 Having doula services in an accessible and centralized location that is
12 open to the public without an economic barrier, will help connect birth-
13 ing persons with the doula care services they need.
14 § 2. Article 25 of the public health law is amended by adding a new
15 title 6-A to read as follows:
16 TITLE VI-A
17 DOULAS FOR MEDICAID
18 Section 2594-a. Definitions.
19 2594-b. New York state community doula directory.
20 2594-c. Criteria for admittance into the New York state communi-
21 ty doula directory.
22 § 2594-a. Definitions. 1. For the purposes of this title, "doula"
23 means a trained person who provides continuous physical, emotional, and
24 informational support to a pregnant person and the family of such preg-
25 nant person before, during or a reasonable time after childbirth.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD15634-02-2
A. 10333 2
1 2. A doula may provide services in hospitals, birthing centers, at
2 home deliveries and other community settings.
3 § 2594-b. New York state community doula directory. 1. The department
4 shall establish and maintain a community doula directory for doulas on
5 the department's internet website for the purposes of Medicaid
6 reimbursement and promoting doula services to Medicaid recipients.
7 2. The directory shall include the following information concerning
8 doulas such as:
9 (a) the name of the doula who provides doula services;
10 (b) the address and location of where the doula provides doula
11 services;
12 (c) the name of each Medicaid provider that employs or contracts with
13 a doula to provide doula services to eligible Medicaid recipients;
14 (d) the doula's national provider identification number; and
15 (e) all documentation of criteria pursuant to section twenty-five
16 hundred ninety-four-c of this title.
17 3. The department shall determine the method of registration and the
18 documentation required to verify such criteria has been met.
19 4. Each doula shall be responsible for completing the requirements
20 pursuant to section twenty-five hundred ninety-four-c of this title.
21 5. The department shall not impose any fee on any doula to register
22 for admittance into the New York state community doula directory.
23 6. The community doula directory shall be publicly accessible at no
24 cost to the doula or birthing person looking to hire a doula in their
25 community.
26 § 2594-c. Criteria for admittance into the New York state community
27 doula directory. 1. Each doula seeking Medicaid reimbursement shall
28 apply to be registered in the New York state community doula directory.
29 2. A doula shall submit to the department a certified copy of such
30 doula's certification from a doula educational organization or by demon-
31 stration of satisfactory proficiency pursuant to this section, and his,
32 her, or their full name, address, phone number, email address, and
33 national provider identification number.
34 3. In lieu of certification, a doula shall submit proof of the follow-
35 ing to the department attesting that such doula has:
36 (a) Attended at least twenty-four contact hours of education that
37 includes any combination of childbirth education, birth doula training,
38 antepartum doula training, and postpartum doula training;
39 (b) Attended at least one breastfeeding class;
40 (c) Attended at least two childbirth classes;
41 (d) Attended at least two live childbirths;
42 (e) Completed cultural competency training;
43 (f) Completed a doula proficiency exam; and
44 (g) Completed training pursuant to the Health Insurance Portability
45 and Accountability Act or client confidentiality training.
46 § 3. This act shall take effect six months after it shall have become
47 a law.
