Bill Text: NY A10175 | 2023-2024 | General Assembly | Introduced

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Bill Title: Directs the commissioner of health to do a comprehensive assessment of the existing methodology used to determine payment for early intervention screenings, evaluations, services and service coordination; directs recommendations on reimbursement methodology as well as needs under the program.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 2-0)

Status: (Introduced) 2024-05-21 - reported referred to ways and means [A10175 Detail]

Download: New_York-2023-A10175-Introduced.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________

                                          10175

                   IN ASSEMBLY

                                      May 10, 2024
                                       ___________

        Introduced  by  COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Paulin) --
          read once and referred to the Committee on Health

        AN ACT to amend the public health law,  in  relation  to  a  review  and
          recommendations  of  reimbursement adequacy and other matters relating
          to early intervention

          The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and  Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:

     1    Section  1.  The  public health law is amended by adding a new section
     2  2557-a to read as follows:
     3    § 2557-a. Early intervention program review. 1. The commissioner shall
     4  conduct a comprehensive study  and  review  of  the  early  intervention
     5  program  including  the  models  of  service  delivery  and the rates of
     6  reimbursement for each such service and model  made  through  the  early
     7  intervention program for efficacy, adequacy and effectiveness of service
     8  delivery  and  the  full implementation of individualized family service
     9  plans. The review shall include:
    10    (a) a comprehensive assessment of the  existing  methodology  used  to
    11  determine   payment  for  early  intervention  screenings,  evaluations,
    12  services and service coordination, including but not limited to:
    13    (i) analysis of early intervention rules, regulations,  and  policies,
    14  including policies, processes, and revenue sources;
    15    (ii)  analysis of costs to providers participating in the early inter-
    16  vention program, including time and cost of travel,  service  provision,
    17  and administrative activities; and
    18    (iii)  analysis  by  discipline  and labor region of salary levels for
    19  individuals providing early intervention services compared to the salary
    20  levels for individuals in the same disciplines and labor regions provid-
    21  ing services other than in the early intervention program;
    22    (b) recommendations for maintaining or changing reimbursement  method-
    23  ologies.  Recommendations  under this paragraph shall be consistent with
    24  federal law and shall include recommendations for appropriate changes in
    25  state law and regulations. The recommendations shall consider  appropri-
    26  ate  payment  methodologies and rates for in-person and telehealth early
    27  intervention evaluations and services  to  address  barriers  in  timely

         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD03582-03-4
        A. 10175                            2

     1  service  provision  as  well  as racial and socioeconomic disparities in
     2  access, with consideration of factors including,  but  not  limited  to,
     3  payment  for  bilingual  services,  travel time, geographic variability,
     4  access  to and cost of technology, cost of living, and other barriers to
     5  timely service provision;
     6    (c) the projected number of children who will need early  intervention
     7  services in the next five years disaggregated by county;
     8    (d) the workforce needed to provide services in the next five years to
     9  all  children eligible for early intervention services, disaggregated by
    10  county; and
    11    (e) opportunities for stakeholder input on current rate methodologies.
    12    2.  Such review shall also include an assessment of  the  efficacy  of
    13  program models for the provision of early intervention services, includ-
    14  ing,  but  not  limited to group services, individual services, facility
    15  based services and home-based services and the  configurations  of  such
    16  service  models. Such review shall include a comprehensive assessment of
    17  the utilization of each model and configuration, including  barriers  to
    18  fuller utilizations, and utilization disaggregated by clinical service.
    19    3.    Within  one  year  after the effective date of this section, the
    20  commissioner shall submit a report of the findings  and  recommendations
    21  under  this  section  to  the  governor,  the temporary president of the
    22  senate, the speaker of the assembly, and the chairs of  the  senate  and
    23  assembly  committees on health, and shall post the report on the depart-
    24  ment's website.
    25    § 2. This act shall take effect immediately.