Bill Text: NY S04651 | 2015-2016 | General Assembly | Amended
Bill Title: Enacts the health care professional transparency act; prohibits health care professionals from using deceptive or misleading advertising.
Spectrum: Bipartisan Bill
Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2016-06-17 - COMMITTED TO RULES [S04651 Detail]
Download: New_York-2015-S04651-Amended.html
S T A T E O F N E W Y O R K ________________________________________________________________________ 4651--C Cal. No. 1287 2015-2016 Regular Sessions I N S E N A T E April 1, 2015 ___________ Introduced by Sens. GRIFFO, AVELLA, DeFRANCISCO, ESPAILLAT, PARKER -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education -- committee discharged, bill amended, ordered reprinted as amended and recommitted to said commit- tee -- reported favorably from said committee, ordered to first and second report, amended on second report, ordered to a third reading, and to be reprinted as amended, retaining its place in the order of third reading -- again amended and ordered reprinted, retaining its place in the order of third reading AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to enacting the health care professional transparency act THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM- BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS: 1 Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may be cited as 2 the "health care professional transparency act". 3 S 2. The education law is amended by adding a new section 6511-a to 4 read as follows: 5 S 6511-A. HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL TRANSPARENCY. 1. DEFINITIONS. FOR 6 PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION: 7 A. "ADVERTISEMENT" MEANS ANY COMMUNICATION OR STATEMENT, WHETHER 8 PRINTED, ELECTRONIC OR ORAL, THAT NAMES THE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER IN 9 RELATION TO HIS OR HER PRACTICE, PROFESSION, OR INSTITUTION IN WHICH THE 10 INDIVIDUAL IS EMPLOYED, VOLUNTEERS OR OTHERWISE PROVIDES HEALTH CARE 11 SERVICES. ADVERTISEMENT INCLUDES BUSINESS CARDS, LETTERHEAD, PATIENT 12 BROCHURES, E-MAIL, INTERNET, AUDIO AND VIDEO AND ANY OTHER COMMUNICATION 13 OR STATEMENT USED IN THE COURSE OF BUSINESS. 14 B. "DECEPTIVE" OR "MISLEADING" MEANS, BUT IS NOT LIMITED TO, ANY 15 ADVERTISEMENT OR AFFIRMATIVE COMMUNICATION OR REPRESENTATION THAT 16 MISSTATES, FALSELY DESCRIBES, HOLDS OUT OR FALSELY DETAILS THE HEALTH 17 CARE PRACTITIONER'S PROFESSION, SKILLS, TRAINING, EXPERTISE, EDUCATION, 18 BOARD CERTIFICATION OR LICENSURE. EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD06721-06-5 S. 4651--C 2 1 C. "HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER" MEANS A PERSON WHO IS LICENSED, CERTI- 2 FIED OR REGISTERED PURSUANT TO THIS TITLE. 3 2. ADVERTISEMENT REQUIREMENTS. A. AN ADVERTISEMENT FOR HEALTH CARE 4 SERVICES THAT NAMES A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER MUST IDENTIFY THE TYPE OF 5 LICENSE HELD PURSUANT TO THE DEFINITIONS UNDER THIS SECTION. THE ADVER- 6 TISEMENT SHALL BE FREE FROM ANY AND ALL DECEPTIVE OR MISLEADING INFORMA- 7 TION. 8 B. A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER PROVIDING HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN THIS 9 STATE MUST CONSPICUOUSLY POST AND AFFIRMATIVELY COMMUNICATE THE PRACTI- 10 TIONER'S SPECIFIC LICENSURE IN ACCORDANCE WITH THIS SECTION. THIS SHALL 11 CONSIST OF THE FOLLOWING: 12 (1) THE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER SHALL WEAR A PHOTO IDENTIFICATION 13 NAME TAG DURING ALL PATIENT ENCOUNTERS THAT SHALL INCLUDE (I) THE PRAC- 14 TITIONER'S NAME; AND (II) LARGE BOLD LETTERING WHICH SPECIFIES THE TYPE 15 OF LICENSE HELD BY THE PRACTITIONER. THE NAME TAG SHALL BE OF SUFFI- 16 CIENT SIZE AND BE WORN IN A CONSPICUOUS MANNER SO AS TO BE READILY IDEN- 17 TIFIABLE; AND 18 (2) THE HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER SHALL DISPLAY IN HIS OR HER OFFICE A 19 DOCUMENT THAT CLEARLY IDENTIFIES THE TYPE OF LICENSE HELD BY THE HEALTH 20 CARE PRACTITIONER. THE WRITING SHALL BE OF SUFFICIENT SIZE SO AS TO BE 21 VISIBLE AND APPARENT TO ALL CURRENT AND PROSPECTIVE PATIENTS. FOR 22 PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE TERM OFFICE DOES NOT APPLY TO ANY PART OF 23 A GENERAL HOSPITAL AS THAT TERM IS DEFINED IN SUBDIVISION TEN OF SECTION 24 TWENTY-EIGHT HUNDRED ONE OF THE PUBLIC HEALTH LAW. 25 C. A HEALTH CARE PRACTITIONER WHO PRACTICES IN MORE THAN ONE OFFICE 26 SHALL BE REQUIRED TO COMPLY WITH THESE REQUIREMENTS IN EACH PRACTICE 27 SETTING. 28 S 3. Section 6509 of the education law is amended by adding a new 29 subdivision 15 to read as follows: 30 (15) FAILING TO COMPLY WITH ADVERTISEMENT AND IDENTIFICATION REQUIRE- 31 MENTS PURSUANT TO SECTION SIXTY-FIVE HUNDRED ELEVEN-A OF THIS SUBARTI- 32 CLE. 33 S 4. Section 6530 of the education law is amended by adding a new 34 subdivision 50 to read as follows: 35 50. FAILING TO COMPLY WITH ADVERTISEMENT AND IDENTIFICATION REQUIRE- 36 MENTS PURSUANT TO SECTION SIXTY-FIVE HUNDRED ELEVEN-A OF THIS TITLE. 37 S 5. This act shall take effect on the one hundred eightieth day after 38 it shall have become a law.