Albany, NY – Assemblywoman Aileen Gunther (D,I,WF-Forestburgh), Chair of the Assembly Mental Health Committee, announced unanimous Assembly passage today of legislation she sponsors that will provide mandate relief to hospitals and cost-savings to taxpayers (A.9768-A/S.7481-A).

In the mid-1990s, the New York State Department of Health entered into an agreement with the Joint Commission, the lead national hospital accrediting organization. This agreement allowed the Department of Health to accept the survey and inspection done by the Joint Commission as sufficient to meet the standards of a DOH inspection.

However, general hospitals operating out-patient mental health and substance abuse clinics, licensed by the New York State Office of Mental Health (OMH) and/or the New York State Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services (OASAS), continue to be subject to state inspections, despite the clinic’s inclusion in the Joint Commission inspection. This places an administrative burden on the hospital and ties up OMH and OASAS staff with duplicative inspections.

Assemblywoman Gunther’s legislation will provide much-needed relief by allowing, but not requiring, the Commissioners of OMH and OASAS to accept the Joint Commission’s survey.

“I know, first-hand, how comprehensive a Joint Commission survey is,” said Assemblywoman Gunther, the only registered nurse currently serving the in Assembly and the former Director of Performance Improvement at Catskill Regional Medical Center. “As healthcare costs continue to rise, it’s more important than ever to provide relief to hospitals wherever we can. This legislation will do that, while maintaining quality of care standards in vital, hospital-based, out-patient mental health and substance abuse clinics.”

The legislation, carried in the Senate by Senator Kemp Hannon, is currently under consideration by the Senate Mental Health Committee.