§ 391. Admission of out of county patients. 1. Exclusive of the city of New York, and exclusive of counties served by state tuberculosis hospitals, any person in a county not having a county hospital for the care and treatment of persons suffering from tuberculosis may apply in person to the clerk of the board of supervisors of such county or to the state commissioner of health for admission to a tuberculosis hospital, providing that such person submit with such application a statement signed by a reputable physician that such physician has, within the ten days preceding the date of such application, examined such person and that, in his opinion, such person is suffering from tuberculosis or is suspected of having tuberculosis and is in need of care and treatment therefor. Upon receipt of such application, the clerk of the board of supervisors or the state commissioner of health, as the case may be, shall forward the same to the superintendent of any state, county or city hospital for the care and treatment of tuberculosis.

2. Whenever the superintendent of such a hospital shall receive an application for the admission of a patient in accordance with the provisions of subdivision one of this section, if it appear from such application that the person therein referred to is suffering from tuberculosis or is suspected of having tuberculosis and is in need of care and treatment therefor, the superintendent shall notify said person to appear in person at the hospital, provided there be a vacancy in such hospital and there be no pending application from a patient living in the county in which the hospital is located. If, upon personal examination of the patient, the superintendent is satisfied that such patient is in need of care and treatment for tuberculosis, he shall admit him to the hospital. Every patient so admitted shall be a charge against the county in which he was living immediately prior to such admission. Such charge shall be at a rate to be fixed by the board of managers, which shall not exceed the per diem per capita cost of maintenance therein and any cost of transportation to or from the hospital, except that if the county operating said hospital is currently receiving state aid for the care and treatment of tuberculosis patients pursuant to the public health law, such charge shall be an amount for each day of such patient's care equivalent to the balance of the total per diem per capita cost of operating such hospital during the preceding fiscal year, as computed and approved by the state commissioner of health pursuant to subdivision three of section fifty-four of the public health law; and the bill therefor shall be audited and paid by the board of supervisors of the said county. However, if such patient has local residence, as defined in the public health law, in some county other than the one in which he was living immediately prior to such admission or in the city of New York, he shall be a charge upon such other county or the city of New York, as the case may be, and in this event any amounts for the cost of such care and treatment which shall have been paid by the county from which he was admitted shall be charged back and reimbursed to such county by the aforesaid other county or the city of New York in which the patient has local residence. Any patient admitted to a hospital in accordance with the provisions of subdivision one of this section may pay for his care and treatment in whole or in part if he volunteers to do so.