Assembly Bill A11327

                             
                     S T A T E   O F   N E W   Y O R K
 ________________________________________________________________________
 
                                   11327
 
                           I N  A S S E M B L Y
 
                               May 11, 2026
                                ___________
 
 Introduced by COMMITTEE ON RULES -- (at request of M. of A. Blumencranz)
   -- read once and referred to the Committee on Health
 
 AN  ACT  to amend the public health law, in relation to establishing the
   "MOM safety act - maternal  outcomes  modernization  act"  to  improve
   maternal health outcomes during the postpartum period through enhanced
   screening, coordinated care, and standardized protocols

   THE  PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK, REPRESENTED IN SENATE AND ASSEM-
 BLY, DO ENACT AS FOLLOWS:
 
   Section 1. Short title. This act shall be known and may  be  cited  as
 the "MOM safety act - maternal outcomes modernization act".
   §  2.  Legislative  intent.  The legislature hereby finds and declares
 that:
   1. Maternal mortality and  severe  maternal  morbidity  remain  urgent
 public health crises in New York state and across the nation; and
   2.  A  majority of maternal deaths occur during the postpartum period,
 often within the first year following delivery; and
   3.  Cardiovascular  disease,  mental  health   conditions,   including
 suicide,  and  substance  use  disorders are among the leading causes of
 maternal death; and
   4. Postpartum care in its current form is fragmented and insufficient,
 often limited to a single  follow-up  visit,  failing  to  identify  and
 address preventable complications; and
   5. There exists a critical need to modernize maternal care delivery by
 establishing a structured "fourth trimester" model that ensures continu-
 ity of care, standardized screening, and timely intervention; and
   6.  It  is therefore the intent of the legislature to improve maternal
 outcomes, reduce preventable deaths, and establish New York state  as  a
 national leader in maternal health innovation by implementing comprehen-
 sive  postpartum  care  protocols, expanding access to mental health and
 substance use treatment, and strengthening care coordination.
   § 3. The public health law is amended by adding a new  section  2500-n
 to read as follows:
 
  EXPLANATION--Matter in ITALICS (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
                       [ ] is old law to be omitted.
                                                            LBD15768-01-6
 A. 11327                            2
              

 
   §  2500-N.  STRUCTURED  POSTPARTUM  CARE  REQUIREMENTS.    1.  FOR THE
 PURPOSES OF THIS SECTION, THE FOLLOWING TERMS SHALL HAVE  THE  FOLLOWING
 MEANINGS:
   (A)  "POSTPARTUM  PERIOD"  SHALL MEAN THE PERIOD BEGINNING IMMEDIATELY
 AFTER DELIVERY AND CONTINUING THROUGH  TWELVE  MONTHS  FOLLOWING  CHILD-
 BIRTH.
   (B)  "QUALIFIED MATERNAL HEALTH PROVIDER" SHALL INCLUDE OBSTETRICIANS,
 GYNECOLOGISTS, MIDWIVES, PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS,  CARDIOLOGISTS,  MENTAL
 HEALTH  PROFESSIONALS, AND ANY OTHER LICENSED PROVIDER DESIGNATED BY THE
 DEPARTMENT.
   (C) "PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING" SHALL MEAN THE  USE  OF  VALI-
 DATED  SCREENING  TOOLS TO ASSESS DEPRESSION, ANXIETY, SUICIDE RISK, AND
 RELATED CONDITIONS DURING PREGNANCY AND THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD.
   2. ALL HOSPITALS,  BIRTHING  CENTERS,  AND  LICENSED  MATERNAL  HEALTH
 PROVIDERS  TO  ESTABLISH AND IMPLEMENT A STRUCTURED POSTPARTUM CARE PLAN
 FOR EACH PATIENT PRIOR TO DISCHARGE.
   (A) SUCH PLAN SHALL INCLUDE SCHEDULED  FOLLOW-UP  CARE  AT  CLINICALLY
 APPROPRIATE INTERVALS, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (I) WITHIN THREE WEEKS POSTPARTUM;
   (II) AT APPROXIMATELY SIX TO EIGHT WEEKS POSTPARTUM;
   (III) AT THREE MONTHS POSTPARTUM;
   (IV) AT SIX MONTHS POSTPARTUM; AND
   (V) AT TWELVE MONTHS POSTPARTUM.
   (B)  PROVIDERS  SHALL  ENSURE  CARE  COORDINATION AND DOCUMENTATION OF
 COMPLIANCE WITH SUCH FOLLOW-UP SCHEDULE.
   3.(A) FOR THE PURPOSES OF CARDIOVASCULAR SCREENING AND MATERNAL SAFETY
 PROTOCOLS, THE DEPARTMENT  SHALL  DEVELOP  AND  PROMULGATE  STANDARDIZED
 CARDIO-OBSTETRICS PROTOCOLS APPLICABLE TO:
   (I) OBSTETRIC PROVIDERS;
   (II) EMERGENCY DEPARTMENTS;
   (III) URGENT CARE FACILITIES; AND
   (IV) PRIMARY CARE PROVIDERS.
   (B) SUCH PROTOCOLS SHALL INCLUDE, BUT NOT BE LIMITED TO:
   (I) SCREENING FOR CARDIOVASCULAR RISK FACTORS AND WARNING SIGNS;
   (II)  GUIDANCE AND/OR TRAINING ON ATYPICAL PRESENTATIONS OF CARDIOVAS-
 CULAR DISEASE IN POSTPARTUM INDIVIDUALS; AND
   (III) REFERRAL PATHWAYS TO SPECIALTY CARE.
   4. ALL HOSPITALS SHALL IMPLEMENT PROCEDURES TO IDENTIFY  PATIENTS  WHO
 ARE  PREGNANT  OR  WITHIN  THE  POSTPARTUM PERIOD AND ENSURE APPROPRIATE
 TRIAGE AND EVALUATION.
   5. (A) FOR THE PURPOSES  OF  PERINATAL  MENTAL  HEALTH  SCREENING  AND
 SERVICES,   ALL   QUALIFIED  MATERNAL  HEALTH  PROVIDERS  SHALL  CONDUCT
 UNIVERSAL PERINATAL MENTAL HEALTH SCREENINGS:
   (I) DURING PREGNANCY; AND
   (II) AT MULTIPLE INTERVALS DURING THE POSTPARTUM PERIOD.
   (B) THE DEPARTMENT SHALL ESTABLISH STANDARDS FOR SCREENING  TOOLS  AND
 FREQUENCY.
   (C)  THE DEPARTMENT, IN COORDINATION WITH THE OFFICE OF MENTAL HEALTH,
 SHALL DEVELOP PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT:
   (I) INTEGRATION  OF  MENTAL  HEALTH  SERVICES  WITHIN  OBSTETRIC  CARE
 SETTINGS;
   (II) TELEHEALTH ACCESS TO MATERNAL MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES; AND
   (III) CARE COORDINATION AND REFERRAL SYSTEMS.
   6.  (A)  FOR  THE PURPOSES OF SUBSTANCE USE DISORDER TREATMENT ACCESS,
 THE DEPARTMENT, IN COORDINATION WITH THE OFFICE  OF  ADDICTION  SERVICES
 A. 11327                            3
 
 AND  SUPPORTS,  SHALL ESTABLISH STANDARDS TO IMPROVE ACCESS TO TREATMENT
 FOR PREGNANT AND POSTPARTUM INDIVIDUALS, INCLUDING, BUT NOT LIMITED TO:
   (I) MEDICATION-ASSISTED TREATMENT;
   (II) PEER SUPPORT SERVICES; AND
   (III) FAMILY-CENTERED AND CHILDCARE-SENSITIVE TREATMENT MODELS.
   (B)  PROVIDERS  SHALL ENSURE REFERRAL PATHWAYS FOR INDIVIDUALS IDENTI-
 FIED AS NEEDING SUBSTANCE USE TREATMENT.
   7. FOR THE PURPOSES OF  POSTPARTUM  CARE  NAVIGATION,  THE  DEPARTMENT
 SHALL  ESTABLISH  OR  CERTIFY  A  POSTPARTUM  CARE NAVIGATION PROGRAM TO
 ASSIST INDIVIDUALS IN  ACCESSING  SERVICES  REQUIRED  PURSUANT  TO  THIS
 SECTION. SUCH POSTPARTUM CARE NAVIGATION PROGRAM SHALL:
   (A) ASSIST WITH SCHEDULING FOLLOW-UP APPOINTMENTS;
   (B) PROVIDE EDUCATION ON WARNING SIGNS;
   (C) COORDINATE REFERRALS TO SPECIALTY CARE; AND
   (D) SUPPORT CONTINUITY OF INSURANCE COVERAGE.
   8.  (A) FOR THE PURPOSES OF DATA COLLECTION AND REPORTING, THE DEPART-
 MENT SHALL COLLECT AND PUBLISH ANNUAL DATA REGARDING:
   (I) POSTPARTUM FOLLOW-UP CARE COMPLIANCE;
   (II) CARDIOVASCULAR SCREENING RATES;
   (III) MENTAL HEALTH SCREENING RATES;
   (IV) MATERNAL MORBIDITY AND MORTALITY OUTCOMES; AND
   (V) REFERRALS AND TREATMENT UTILIZATION.
   (B) SUCH DATA SHALL BE DISAGGREGATED BY RELEVANT  DEMOGRAPHIC  FACTORS
 TO IDENTIFY DISPARITIES AND INFORM POLICY IMPROVEMENTS.
   9.  THE  COMMISSIONER  IS AUTHORIZED TO PROMULGATE ANY RULES AND REGU-
 LATIONS NECESSARY TO IMPLEMENT THE PROVISIONS OF THIS SECTION.
   § 4. Severability. If any provision of this act, or any application of
 any provision of this act, is held to be invalid, that shall not  affect
 the  validity or effectiveness of any other provision of this act, or of
 any other application of any provision of this act, which can  be  given
 effect  without  that  provision  or  application;  and to that end, the
 provisions and applications of this act are severable.
   § 5. This act shall take effect immediately.