The Office of the Attorney General found that the hospital system repeatedly failed to properly screen and stabilize patients with behavioral health conditions, lacked effective measures to prevent impaired patients from leaving before discharge, and inadequately monitored patients under observation orders.
The investigation also revealed that NewYork-Presbyterian failed to bring all of its licensed inpatient psychiatric beds back online following the COVID-19 pandemic. As of May 2023, more than 100 psychiatric beds remained out of service across the system despite state regulators directing hospitals to restore that capacity.
Attorney General Letitia James announced the settlement on April 13, 2026, declaring that Mental health care is necessary medical care, and hospitals have a legal and moral obligation to treat these crises with urgency and compassion.
Under the agreement, NewYork-Presbyterian must overhaul its emergency department screening policies to identify risks including suicide, violence, and substance use, with mandatory follow-up and reassessment protocols for higher-risk patients.
The hospital must establish mandatory observation logs, strengthen elopement precautions, and require immediate escalation and documentation whenever a high-need patient goes missing.
NewYork-Presbyterian must also upgrade its electronic health record systems to give providers real-time access to complete patient information, expand care coordination efforts to include outreach to families and outside providers, and ensure that patients with complex needs leave with scheduled follow-up appointments.
The settlement includes a $10,000 penalty for each future violation of its terms. The hospital will remain subject to ongoing monitoring, reporting, and quality assurance reviews, including tracking and review of every patient elopement incident.