Relates to the identification of individuals who provide face-to-face care to or direct observation of a patient and information required to be submitted by complainants in offenses against a hospital worker

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Judy Griffin and 6 co-sponsors

Patients have the right to know the name, role, and who provides face-to-face care or observes them, with safety-based limits on full names.

PRINT NUMBER 9536A

Bill overview

Bill: A 9536

Session: 2025-2026

Jurisdiction: New York

Introduced by: Assemblymember Woerner, with several co-sponsors

Committee: Health

Date introduced: January 14, 2026

Current status: Referred to Health; amended and reprinted as 9536A on March 20, 2026; action history indicates a recommit to Health

Purpose and intent

A 9536 amends the public health law to clarify how patients are informed about the identity of individuals who provide direct face-to-face care to or directly observe a patient. The bill aims to balance transparency about caregiver identities with safety considerations for the individuals providing care.

Key provisions

Amends Public Health Law, subdivision 1, paragraph (g), subparagraph (v) of section 2803 (as amended by 2022 law).

New requirement: Patients have a right to be informed of the name, position, and functions of any persons who provide face-to-face care to or directly observe the patient. This includes:

Medical students
Physicians exempt from New York state licensure under Education Law section 6526

Exception/limitation: A hospital may limit the identification of an individual in two ways:

The hospital may disclose identifying information only as the employee identification number, first name, and first initial of the last name.
This limitation applies when full name identification may jeopardize the personal safety of the individual providing care or observation.

The limitation can apply to information provided directly to the patient or included in medical records provided to the patient at any time.

Who/what is affected

Hospitals and other healthcare facilities regulated under the public health law.

Individuals who provide face-to-face care to patients or direct observation of patients, including:

Employed staff
Medical students
Physicians exempt from licensure under Education Law

Patients, who gain enhanced transparency about who is involved in their direct care or observation.

Procedural and timeline aspects

Effective date: The act becomes law 120 days after enactment.

Implementation considerations: Hospitals must adjust patient communications and medical records processes to reflect the right to know (or limited disclosure in the case of safety concerns) the identity and role of caregivers/observers.

Practical implications and potential impact

Patients would generally have clearer information about who is involved in their direct care or observation.

Hospitals retain a safety-based limitation on identifying information, allowing masking of full names when disclosure could threaten caregiver safety.

The bill explicitly includes non-traditional care providers (e.g., medical students and licensure-exempt physicians) in the scope of transparency to patients.

Institutions may need to update patient consent forms, patient portals, staff directories, and medical record practices to align with the new identification requirements and the safety exception.

The change could affect patient perceptions of transparency and trust, as well as administrative workflows related to caregiver identification.

Note on scope and interpretation

The right to identification is subject to the safety-based exception, which allows partial disclosure (employee ID, first name, and first initial of last name) when full names could jeopardize personal safety.

The language specifies “face-to-face care or direct observation,” narrowing the scope to direct interactions with patients.