ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York is working to make it easier to get checked for hepatitis C.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo on Tuesday signed a new law that will allow qualified registered nurses to administer hepatitis C tests.
Before the change, registered nurses could only give the test to specific patients as directed by a doctor or nurse practitioner.
Cuomo says the old rules created “unnecessary barriers” to testing. He says early detection of the illness can help patients get treatment faster.
Last year the state began requiring hospitals and doctors to offer hepatitis C to patients born between 1945 and 1965, a group who are at greater risk of having hepatitis C.
