Assembly Bill A6033

                            
 
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   6033
 
                        2017-2018 Regular Sessions
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                             February 21, 2017
                                ___________
 
 Introduced  by M. of A. ENGLEBRIGHT, GOTTFRIED -- read once and referred
   to the Committee on Health
 
 AN ACT to amend the public health law,  in  relation  to  expanding  the
   Doctors  Across  New  York   program to physicians who serve geriatric
   populations
 
   THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND  ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section  1. Subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of paragraph (d) of subdivision
 5-a of section 2807-m of the public health law, as amended by section  9
 of  part  B  of  chapter  60 of the laws of 2014, are amended to read as
 follows:
   (i) Funding shall first be awarded to repay loans of up to twenty-five
 physicians who train in primary care or  specialty  tracks  in  teaching
 general hospitals, and who enter and remain in primary care or specialty
 practices  in  underserved communities OR SERVING GERIATRIC POPULATIONS,
 as determined by the commissioner.
   (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i)  of  this
 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to repay loans of physi-
 cians  who  enter  and  remain in primary care or specialty practices in
 underserved communities OR SERVING GERIATRIC POPULATIONS, as  determined
 by  the commissioner, including but not limited to physicians working in
 general hospitals, or other health care facilities.
   § 2. Subparagraphs (i) and (ii) of paragraph (e) of subdivision 5-a of
 section 2807-m of the public health law, as amended by section 9 of part
 B of chapter 60 of the laws of 2014, are amended to read as follows:
   (i) Preference in funding shall first be accorded to teaching  general
 hospitals  for  up  to  twenty-five awards, to support costs incurred by
 physicians trained in primary or specialty tracks who thereafter  estab-
 lish  or join practices in underserved communities OR IN GERIATRIC POPU-
 LATIONS, as determined by the commissioner.
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD09621-01-7
              

 A. 6033                             2
 
   (ii) After distributions in accordance with subparagraph (i)  of  this
 paragraph, all remaining funds shall be awarded to physicians to support
 the cost of establishing or joining practices in underserved communities
 OR  IN  GERIATRIC POPULATIONS, as determined by the commissioner, and to
 hospitals  and  other health care providers to recruit new physicians to
 provide services in underserved communities OR IN GERIATRIC POPULATIONS,
 as determined by the commissioner.
   § 3. Paragraphs (a) and (f) of subdivision 10 of section 2807-m of the
 public health law, paragraph (a) as amended by section 13 of part  B  of
 chapter  58  of  the  laws of 2010 and paragraph (f) as added by section
 75-e of part C of chapter 58 of the laws of 2008, are amended to read as
 follows:
   (a) Beginning January first, two thousand eight, the  commissioner  is
 authorized,  within  amounts available pursuant to subdivision five-a of
 this section, to make loan repayment awards to primary  care  physicians
 or  other  physician specialties determined by the commissioner to be in
 short supply, licensed to practice medicine in New York state, who agree
 to practice for at least five years in an underserved area OR TO SERVE A
 GERIATRIC POPULATION, as determined by the commissioner. Such  physician
 shall  be eligible for a loan repayment award of up to one hundred fifty
 thousand dollars over a five year period distributed as follows: fifteen
 percent of total loan debt not to exceed twenty thousand dollars for the
 first year; fifteen percent of total loan debt not to exceed twenty-five
 thousand dollars for the second year; twenty percent of total loan  debt
 not to exceed thirty-five thousand dollars for the third year; and twen-
 ty-five  percent  of  total loan debt not to exceed thirty-five thousand
 dollars per year for the fourth year; and  any  unpaid  balance  of  the
 total  loan  debt  not  to exceed the maximum award amount for the fifth
 year of practice in such area.
   (f)(i) When a physician is not actually practicing in  an  underserved
 area OR IN A GERIATRIC POPULATION, he or she shall be deemed to be prac-
 ticing  in an underserved area OR IN A GERIATRIC POPULATION if he or she
 practices in a facility or physician's office that primarily  serves  an
 underserved population as determined by the commissioner, without regard
 to  whether  the  population  or  the  facility or physician's office is
 located  in  an  underserved  area  OR  IN  AN  AREA  WITH  A  GERIATRIC
 POPULATION.
   (ii) In making criteria and determinations as to whether an area is an
 underserved  area OR IN AN AREA WITH A GERIATRIC POPULATION or whether a
 facility or physician's office primarily  serves  an  underserved  popu-
 lation,  the  commissioner may make separate criteria and determinations
 for different specialties.
   § 4. This act shall take effect immediately.