Relates to emergency medicine triage delivery of services; provides that health care services provided by means of emergency medicine triage shall be entitled to reimbursement.
STATE OF NEW YORK
________________________________________________________________________
8227
IN SENATE
April 27, 2020
___________
Introduced by Sens. JORDAN, BORRELLO -- 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 emergency medicine
triage delivery of services
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-bly, do enact as follows:
1 Section 1. Legislative findings and intent. The legislature hereby
2 finds and declares that telemedicine technology has vastly expanded
3 access to health care for New York State residents while maintaining the
4 utmost quality of care. Technological advancements have succeeded in
5 bringing health care to those typically unable to access care thus
6 improving continuity of care. It is the intent of the legislature to
7 expand these initiatives to include emergency medical triage services
8 within the Medicaid program to reduce unnecessary emergency department
9 admissions while maintaining the quality care New York State residents
10 deserve. Emergency medical triage allows individuals to obtain health
11 care services for acute medical emergencies with emergency department
12 physicians through available technology for diagnosis, treatment,
13 prescriptions, triage, appropriate labs and imaging and patient follow-
14 up. These services will help to reduce the burden on hospital emergency
15 departments, which are oftentimes the first point of access to care for
16 members of the community.
17 § 2. The public health law is amended by adding a new article 29-H to
18 read as follows:
19 ARTICLE 29-H
20 EMERGENCY MEDICINE TRIAGE
21 Section 2999-ee. Definitions.
22 2999-ff. Emergency medicine triage delivery of services.
23 § 2999-ee. Definitions. As used in this article, the following terms
24 shall have the following meanings:
25 1. "Distant site" means a site at which an emergency medicine triage
26 provider is located while delivering health care services by means of
27 emergency medicine triage.
28 2. "Emergency medicine triage provider" means:
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[] is old law to be omitted.
LBD14596-02-0
S. 8227 2
1 (a) a physician licensed pursuant to article one hundred thirty-one of
2 the education law and credentialed by a regional emergency medical advi-
3 sory committee;
4 (b) a physician assistant licensed pursuant to article one hundred
5 thirty-one-B of the education law under the direct supervision of a
6 regional emergency medical advisory committee credentialed physician;
7 (c) a nurse practitioner licensed pursuant to article one hundred
8 thirty-nine of the education law under the direct supervision of a
9 regional emergency medical advisory committee credentialed physician;
10 and
11 (d) any other provider as determined by the commissioner pursuant to
12 regulation.
13 3. "Originating site" means a site at which a patient is located at
14 the time health care services are delivered to him or her by means of
15 emergency medicine triage.
16 4. "Emergency medicine triage" means the use of electronic communi-
17 cation technologies by emergency medicine triage providers for the
18 purpose of triaging a patient's level of medical severity and to deliver
19 health care services, which may include assessment, diagnosis, treatment
20 and referral, when an acute medical emergency occurs.
21 § 2999-ff. Emergency medicine triage delivery of services. Health care
22 services delivered by means of emergency medicine triage shall be enti-
23 tled to reimbursement under section three hundred sixty-seven-u of the
24 social services law.
25 § 3. Notwithstanding the provisions of any law to the contrary, the
26 commissioner of health is authorized to approve social services district
27 use of emergency medicine triage delivery services to improve the deliv-
28 ery of quality health care services in a cost-effective manner. The
29 commissioner shall evaluate the results of utilization of such program,
30 including any savings resulting therefrom. Any such savings, after
31 certification by the director of the division of the budget, shall be
32 shared equally with the applicable social services districts to offset
33 the participating social services district's yearly net share of medical
34 assistance expenditures in a manner to be determined jointly by the
35 commissioner of health and the director of the division of the budget.
36 § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.