Requires hospitals record information during intake and registration if a patient requires a disability accommodation; allows such patient to decline such request for information.
Summary
This bill amends New York’s Public Health Law to require general hospitals to collect and record information during patient intake and registration about whether a patient needs a reasonable accommodation for a disability under the Americans with Disabilities Act. The bill directs that the information be obtained in a manner specified by the Department of Health through regulation or guidance, and it preserves a patient’s right to decline answering any disability-related questions. It also continues an existing requirement that hospitals provide preadmission information in accessible formats for blind or visually impaired patients, including large print or audio versions upon request.
The bill is also tied to a 2024 law on hospital disability-accommodation inquiries by changing that law’s effective date from 90 days to 180 days after enactment. Section 3 states that the new intake-and-registration requirement takes effect immediately, but only in the same manner and on the same date as the related 2024 chapter law. In practical terms, the measure expands and formalizes hospital obligations around disability accommodation screening while leaving patient participation voluntary.
Impact
The bill would add a new hospital intake and registration duty under Public Health Law section 2803-t, requiring general hospitals to gather and record disability-accommodation information and to do so according to Department of Health rules or guidance. It affects hospitals, patients with disabilities, and hospital administrators by standardizing how accommodation needs are identified and documented, while explicitly protecting patients who choose not to disclose disability information. It also modifies the implementation timeline for the related 2024 disability-accommodation law, delaying its effective date to 180 days after enactment.
Sentiment
The available voting history shows strong bipartisan support and no recorded opposition: the Assembly Health Committee advanced the bill unanimously, and both the Assembly and Senate passed it with unanimous floor votes. That pattern suggests the bill was viewed favorably as a patient-access and disability-rights measure, with broad agreement on the need for clearer hospital procedures and accommodations. No committee transcript is available here, so the sentiment can only be inferred from the unanimous votes and the bill’s accessibility-focused purpose.
Contention
There is little evidence of substantive opposition in the available record, but the main policy sensitivity is the balance between collecting disability-related information and protecting patient privacy and autonomy. The bill addresses that concern by making the questions voluntary and allowing patients to decline to answer. Another practical issue is administrative burden on hospitals, which must implement new intake procedures and comply with Department of Health guidance, but no recorded vote or transcript indicates that this concern generated significant controversy.
Same As
Requires hospitals record information during intake and registration if a patient requires a disability accommodation; allows such patient to decline such request for information.
Requires hospitals record information during intake and registration if a patient requires a disability accommodation; allows such patient to decline such request for information.
Requires hospitals to obtain verbal and written informed consent from a patient or representative before including such patient's information in a general hospital facility directory.
Requires hospitals to obtain verbal and written informed consent from a patient or representative before including such patient's information in a general hospital facility directory.
Provides additional protections for sensitive health information; requires all health information networks, electronic health record systems, and health care providers to provide patients with a right to restrict the disclosures of such patient's health information; defines terms; provides for exceptions.
Provides additional protections for sensitive health information; requires all health information networks, electronic health record systems, and health care providers to provide patients with a right to restrict the disclosures of such patient's health information; defines terms; provides for exceptions.
Requires that general hospitals that provide mastectomy surgery, lymph node dissection or lumpectomy provide information to such patients concerning options for breast reconstruction.
Requires that general hospitals that provide mastectomy surgery, lymph node dissection or lumpectomy provide information to such patients concerning options for breast reconstruction.