Financial Aid Law (FAL)
July 28, 2006
Dear Administrator:
Chapter 57 of the Laws of 2006 has added a new Subdivision 9-a to Section 2807-k of the NYS Public Health Law which requires each general hospital to establish patient financial aid policies and procedures, as prescribed by this law, for services rendered on and after January 1, 2007, as a condition for receipt of hospital indigent care and high need funding for awards applicable to periods on and after January 1, 2009. This is the first of multiple communications your hospital will receive to implement this recently enacted provision of law.
Paragraph (j) of this Subdivision; requires each general hospital to submit to the Department a written report summarizing its policies and procedures for financial assistance to patients which were in effect on April l, 2006. This report must also include a complete official copy of such policies and procedures and any related materials distributed to patients for notification and descnption purposes.
The enclosed survey is designed to solicit information required by this provision of law. The enclosed survey and instructions are being provided with this letter to give hospitals a hard copy of what is available on the Health Provider Network (HPN) for this application. This application can be accessed in the same way as you access your hospital´s 2005 Institutional Cost Report (ICR) software and by the same employee´s who had that access to the ICR application at the following HPN web site address: https://commerce.health.state.ny.us/hpn/. Please thoroughly read the enclosed instructions before completing the survey on the HPN. All surveys need to be submitted electronically no later than August 31, 2006.
Be aware that failure to submit this requested information by the above referenced deadline could result in the issuance of a fine as authorized pursuant to Section 12 of the NYS Public Health Law. Should you have any questions, they can be e-mailed to www.bfmishosp@health.state.ny.us or you can contact Lynne Ryan of my staff at (518) 486- 2487.
Sincerely,
Mark H. VanGuysling
Assistant Director
Division of Health Care Financing
Note: The referenced "Patient Financial Assistance Asset Test Survey" available on the HPN website is no longer available as of this publication date.
