Bill Text: NY S03974 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended

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Bill Title: Provides Medicaid reimbursement for interpretation services provided by hospital inpatient, outpatient and emergency department settings and in diagnostic treatment centers; provides further that time frames for notice, approval or certification of rates of payment and to the requirement of prior notice of rates of payment are suspended, deemed without any force and effect from and after February 1, 2018 for such rates effective for the period April 1, 2018 through March 31, 2019.

Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Democrat 1-0)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-01-14 - PRINT NUMBER 3974A [S03974 Detail]

Download: New_York-2015-S03974-Amended.html

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                STATE OF NEW YORK
        ________________________________________________________________________
                                         3974--A
                               2015-2016 Regular Sessions
                    IN SENATE
                                    February 25, 2015
                                       ___________
        Introduced  by  Sen.  PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when
          printed to be committed to the Committee on Health --  recommitted  to
          the  Committee  on  Health in accordance with Senate Rule 6, sec. 8 --
          committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as  amended  and
          recommitted to said committee
        AN  ACT  to  amend the public health law and the social services law, in
          relation  to  providing  Medicaid  reimbursement  for   interpretation
          services provided by hospital inpatient and outpatient departments
          The  People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem-
        bly, do enact as follows:
     1    Section 1. Section 2807-c of the  public  health  law  is  amended  by
     2  adding a new subdivision 34 to read as follows:
     3    34. Interpretation services. (a) Notwithstanding any provision of law,
     4  rule  or regulation to the contrary, the commissioner shall adjust inpa-
     5  tient medical assistance rates of payment to provide  reimbursement  for
     6  the  costs  associated with the provision of interpretation services for
     7  patients in receipt of  medical  assistance  who  have  limited  English
     8  proficiency.   Reimbursement shall be available for the costs associated
     9  with the provision of interpretation services at  all  locations  during
    10  all  times  that patient care is available, including but not limited to
    11  health care, billing and  making  appointments.    To  be  eligible  for
    12  reimbursement,  the  provision  of interpretation services must be docu-
    13  mented in such a manner as to enable  reporting  to  and  audit  by  the
    14  commissioner.
    15    (b)  Such  adjustment  shall  be  made for discharges on and after the
    16  first of April, two thousand eighteen.
    17    (c) For purposes of this subdivision, "patients with  limited  English
    18  proficiency"  means  patients  whose primary language is not English and
    19  who cannot speak, read, write or understand the English  language  at  a
    20  level  sufficient  to  permit such patients to interact effectively with
    21  health care providers and their staff.
         EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                              [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                                   LBD06841-02-6