BILL NUMBER: S8465
SPONSOR: SALAZAR
 
TITLE OF BILL:
An act to amend the public health law, in relation to enacting the
health care information management act
 
PURPOSE OR GENERAL IDEA OF BILL:
To establish rules and regulations requiring every public and private
hospital, as defined in Public Health Law section 2801 (1), in conjunc-
tion with emergency and other medical services, to compile data and
submit such data annually to the department of health.
 
SUMMARY OF SPECIFIC PROVISIONS:
Section 1 amends the Public Health Law by adding a new article 8-A
titled Health Care Information Management Act. This new article contains
the following provisions:
§ 820 provides the name of the act.
§ 821 requires compilation of data. The commissioner shall establish
rules and regulations requiring every public and private hospital, as
defined in Public Health Law section 2801(1)in conjunction with emergen-
cy and other medical services to compile the following data and submit
such data annually to the department in a useable form for the depart-
ment's reporting by census tracts:
1) Regarding emergency services: a) length of time between each individ-
ual's call to 911 and such individual's arrival at the emergency room;
b) length of time between arrival and admission at such hospital regard-
less of method of arrival, which may include but not be limited to walk-
ins and arrival via ambulance; c) the number of patients treated and
released without admission.
2) Regarding other medical services: a) the total amount of time between
an individual's admission to the emergency room and obtaining a bed on
the hospital floor for other medical services; b) the total wait time
for all pregnant women, pre- and post-partum, to receive a bed and/or
stretcher after arrival at such hospital; c) the percentage of women
admitted, in labor with no pre-partum care; d) the number of births; h)
the number of fatalities due to asthma; e) the number of fatalities as a
result of pulmonary diseases; f) the number of patients. with any form
of cardiac disease; and g) any'additional data the commis sioner deems
pertinent to such compilation of data.
§ 822. Presentation of data. Data from all individual patients complied
under each subdivision of section eight hundred twenty-one of this arti-
cle shall be placed into one of the following categories based on each
individual's current insurance status:
1. Uninsured;
2. Medicare recipient;
a. Part A;
b. Part B;
c. Part C; or
d. Part D;
3. Medicaid recipient; or
4. Insured with a metal level of:
a. Bronze;
b. Silver;
c. Gold; or
d. Platinum.
$823. Annual report. On or before the first of January, beginning in
2027 and every year thereafter, the commissioner shall submit to the
Governor, the Temporary President of the Senate and the Speaker of the
Assembly a report of the complied data outlined in section eight hundred
twenty-one of this article.
 
JUSTIFICATION:
Throughout the multi-year fight to save Long Island College Hospital
(LICH), formerly operated by the State University of New York-Downstate,
the communities served by LICH fought to have an assessment of the
community's health needs. It became apparent that the Department of
Health (DOH) was neither collecting nor reporting data that could under-
pin an impartial and accurate assessment. This bill would require the
DOH to collect such local health data and report it to the Governor and
the Legislature. These statistics would demonstrate the health needs of
the community and will further assist the state budget process by facil-
itating the allocation of resources based on accurate health data rather
than conjecture.
 
PRIOR LEGISLATIVE HISTORY:
SENATE
2023-24:S6546(Salazar)- Referred to Health.
ASSEMBLY:
2023-24:A 2272(Simon)-Referred to Health.
2021-22:A 2296(Simon)-Referred to Health.
2020-19:A 2981(Simon)-Referred to Health.
 
FISCAL IMPLICATIONS:
None
 
EFFECTIVE DATE:
This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after it
shall have become a law; provided, however that effective immediately
the addition amendment and/or repeal of any rule or regulation necessary
for the implementation of this act on its effective date is authorized
to be made on or before such effective date.