Bill > A10316

This bill amends existing public health law to improve access to palliative care and hospice services by requiring hospitals, nursing homes, and certain assisted living residences to establish and implement written policies and procedures to identify and provide timely access to information, counseling, and services for patients with advanced life-limiting conditions or illnesses, including community-based palliative care, which refers to palliative care delivered in a patient's home or community setting. It also mandates that these facilities facilitate access to palliative care consultations and services, ensure referrals are made based on patient needs and preferences, and inform eligible patients about the availability of hospice and other community-based palliative care services, affording them the opportunity for a timely referral. Furthermore, the bill directs the Department of Health to monitor and report hospice utilization for patients who die within a certain period after hospital discharge to assess access to hospice services prior to death, and to administer a hospice-palliative care integration demonstration program, potentially funded at five million dollars annually, to support improved coordination between hospitals, health systems, and hospice providers through grants for projects aimed at enhancing care transitions, timely hospice referrals, and serious illness care coordination. Facilities will be required to submit data on their palliative care and hospice identification and referral practices, and the department will publicly report this data, while also promulgating regulations to implement these changes.

Health and Social Services

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/A10316