Bill > A07534

This bill authorizes the establishment of retail clinics within retail businesses like pharmacies or stores, defining such clinics as healthcare facilities operated by licensed practitioners providing specific limited medical services. The bill directs the New York State Commissioner of Health to create regulations governing these clinics, including restrictions on the types of services they can offer, which are primarily focused on acute, episodic care such as minor illness treatment, immunizations, and minor injury care. The regulations will require retail clinics to promote primary care by asking patients about their primary care providers, maintaining a list of local providers, referring patients to ongoing care when appropriate, and limiting treatment for the same condition to three times per year. The bill mandates that clinics cannot discriminate based on payment source, must maintain accreditation, and cannot allow the host business to influence clinical decisions. Importantly, the bill emphasizes that retail clinics cannot provide ongoing or complex medical treatments and must operate within healthcare practitioners' existing scope of practice. The regulations will also require clinics to provide transparency through signage and annual reporting about clinic locations and their impact on healthcare access, particularly in underserved areas. The bill will take effect 180 days after becoming law, with the health commissioner tasked with developing detailed implementation regulations in the interim.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A7534