N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-B – Applicability; priority of certain other surrogate decision-making laws and regulations
§ 2994-b. Applicability; priority of certain other surrogate decision-making laws and regulations. 1. This article shall apply to health care decisions regarding health care provided in a hospital, and to decisions regarding hospice care without regard to where the decision is made or where the care is provided, for a patient who lacks decision-making capacity, except as limited by this section.
Terms Used In N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-B
- Attending practitioner: means a physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant, selected by or assigned to a patient pursuant to hospital policy, who has primary responsibility for the treatment and care of the patient. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Decision-making capacity: means the ability to understand and appreciate the nature and consequences of proposed health care, including the benefits and risks of and alternatives to proposed health care, and to reach an informed decision. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Decisions regarding hospice care: means the decision to enroll or disenroll in hospice, and consent to the hospice plan of care and modifications to that plan. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Developmental disability: means a developmental disability as defined in subdivision twenty-two of § 1. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- General hospital: means a general hospital as defined in subdivision ten of section twenty-eight hundred one of this chapter excluding a ward, wing, unit or other part of a general hospital operated for the purpose of providing services for persons with mental illness pursuant to an operating certificate issued by the commissioner of mental health. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- guardian: means a health care guardian or a legal guardian of the person of a minor. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Guardian: A person legally empowered and charged with the duty of taking care of and managing the property of another person who because of age, intellect, or health, is incapable of managing his (her) own affairs.
- Health care: means any treatment, service, or procedure to diagnose or treat an individual's physical or mental condition. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Health care agent: means a health care agent designated by an adult pursuant to article twenty-nine-C of this chapter. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Health care decision: means any decision to consent or refuse to consent to health care. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Hospice: means a hospice as defined in article forty of this chapter, without regard to where the hospice care is provided. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Hospital: means a general hospital, a residential health care facility, or hospice. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Life-sustaining treatment: means any medical treatment or procedure without which the patient will die within a relatively short time, as determined by an attending physician to a reasonable degree of medical certainty. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Mental hygiene facility: means a facility operated or licensed by the office of mental health or the office for people with developmental disabilities as defined in subdivision six of § 1. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Nurse practitioner: means a nurse practitioner certified pursuant to § 6910 of the education law who is practicing in accordance with subdivision three of § 6902 of the education law. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Patient: means a person admitted to a hospital. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
- Statute: A law passed by a legislature.
- Surrogate: means the person selected to make a health care decision on behalf of a patient pursuant to section twenty-nine hundred ninety-four-d of this article. See N.Y. Public Health Law 2994-A
1-a. This article shall also apply to decisions regarding orders not to resuscitate for a patient who lacks decision-making capacity in a hospital as defined by § 1.03 of the mental hygiene law.
2. Prior to seeking or relying upon a health care decision by a surrogate for a patient under this article, the attending practitioner shall make reasonable efforts to determine whether the patient has a health care agent appointed pursuant to article twenty-nine-C of this chapter. If so, health care decisions for the patient shall be governed by such article, and shall have priority over decisions by any other person except the patient or as otherwise provided in the health care proxy.
3. Prior to seeking or relying upon a health care decision by a surrogate for a patient under this article, if the attending practitioner has reason to believe that the patient has a history of receiving services for an intellectual or developmental disability; it reasonably appears to the attending practitioner that the patient has an intellectual or developmental disability; or the practitioner in a general hospital has reason to believe that the patient has been temporarily transferred from a mental hygiene facility operated or licensed by the office of mental health or the office for people with developmental disabilities, then such physician, nurse practitioner or physician assistant shall make reasonable efforts to determine whether paragraph (a), (b) or (c) of this subdivision is applicable:
(a) If the patient has a guardian appointed by a court pursuant to article seventeen-A of the surrogate's court procedure act, health care decisions for the patient shall be governed by section seventeen hundred fifty-b of the surrogate's court procedure act and not by this article.
(b) If a patient does not have a guardian appointed by a court pursuant to article seventeen-A of the surrogate's court procedure act but falls within the class of persons described in paragraph (a) of subdivision one of section seventeen hundred fifty-b of such act, decisions to withdraw or withhold life-sustaining treatment for the patient shall be governed by section seventeen hundred fifty-b of the surrogate's court procedure act and not by this article.
(c) If a health care decision for a patient cannot be made under paragraphs (a) or (b) of this subdivision, but consent for the decision may be provided pursuant to the mental hygiene law or regulations of the office of mental health or the office for people with developmental disabilities, then the decision shall be governed by such statute or regulations and not by this article.
4. If, after reasonable efforts, it is determined that a health care decision for the patient cannot be made pursuant to subdivision two or three of this section, then the health care decision shall be made pursuant to this article.