Session Laws

Whereas, The deferred operation of this act would tend to defeat its purpose, which is to immediately identify and treat certain prematurely born infants, therefore it is hereby declared to be an emergency law, necessary for the immediate preservation of the public convenience.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Chapter 111 of the General Laws is hereby amended by striking out section 67A, as appearing in the 1984 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 67A. Within ten days after the birth of any infant weighing twenty-five hundred grams or less or any infant with a high risk problem as defined by the department, each hospital or in the case of a birth outside of a hospital, the person responsible for delivery shall file a written notice of such birth on a form with the department. Said department shall promulgate rules which shall define the high risk problems and shall provide such reporting forms, and shall set forth the procedure to be followed when making such reports. An annual report shall be prepared on the status of premature and high risk infants. Such notices and reports shall be for the use of the department and its programs and shall not constitute a public record.

SECTION 2. Section sixty-seven B of said chapter one hundred and eleven is hereby repealed.

SECTION 3. Said chapter 111 is hereby further amended by striking out section 67C, as appearing in the 1984 Official Edition, and inserting in place thereof the following section:-

Section 67C. The department of public health shall provide programs for the prevention, care, and follow-up of premature and other designated high risk infants and establish criteria for services to be provided. The expenses for the transportation of said infants to hospitals equipped to care for them and the expenses of initial hospitalization shall be paid by the department where such costs are not reimbursed by a third party payer. Said payments shall be made in accordance with rates established by the rate setting commission. Said payments shall be made only at the request of the parents or guardians of said infants to the department. The department shall apply financial eligibility guidelines to said programs and expenses.

SECTION 4. Section sixty-seven D of said chapter one hundred and eleven is hereby repealed.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect on January first, nineteen hundred and eighty-six.