February 12, 2016 – NY Doctors Are Under Attack

drmaldonado PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
 Dr. Joseph R.  Maldonado
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February 12, 2016
Volume 16, Number 6

Dear Colleagues:

THE DOCTORS OF NEW YORK ARE UNDER ATTACK—the likes of which we have not seen since the malpractice crisis of 1975. AT that time, we joined together and did the impossible—we created our own malpractice insurance company!

This time, the assault comes in the form of the change to the date of discovery and extension of the statute of limitations as well as the cut in the excess liability program.

The net effect of passage of these efforts will be a 30% increase in malpractice premiums. Is there any doctor in New York who can stay in practice with such an increase?

It is imperative that you be in Albany on March 8— if we stand any chance to stop this assault on our profession.

If that is not enough, consider the loss of millions of dollars to doctors from the Health Republic debacle, the radical changes in methodology through the DSRIP and SCHIP initiatives and the mounting efforts to kick doctors off insurance networks.

The events in this legislative session are going to radically change the practice of medicine in New York.

This year’s issues are of critical importance to YOU.

The outcome will change the ability of many physicians to remain in practice.

Last year, 15,000 teachers marched on Albany to demand their rights. Do teachers care more about their profession than we care about ours?

A lot of doctors feel it is someone else’s responsibility. This year, it is YOUR responsibility.

We will NOT have a second opportunity to turn this situation around.

Every physician in NY who is not engaged in emergency care must be in Albany on March 8 to lobby their legislators.

BE there –it’s YOUR FUTURE!

We cannot afford to allow the trial lawyers to expand the statute of limitations to 10 years.

We cannot afford physicians to lose millions of dollars in the Health Republic fiasco.

We cannot afford to lose the excess layer of coverage.

We cannot afford to have physicians excluded from insurance plans.

YOU MAY THINK YOU CANNOT AFFORD TO TAKE A DAY OFF TO COME TO ALBANY ON LOBBY DAY! But I can assure you that you will NOT be able to afford to stay in practice if you stay home.

NEXT YEAR MAY BE TOO LATE!

REGISTER NOW!

Joseph Maldonado, M.D, MSc, MBA, DipEBHC
MSSNY President

Please send your comments to comments@mssny.org


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MSSNY Lobby Day Scheduled for March 8th – Physicians Urged to Attend and Wear Your White Lab Coats
MSSNY’s “Physician Advocacy Day” will be held on March 8th in the Lewis Swyer Theatre in the Egg located at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, New York.  If you plan to attend, please register here.

A full slate of legislators and top Administration officials will attend and dialogue with Advocacy Day participants including:

  • Donna Frescatore, Executive Director, NYS Health Benefit Exchange;
  • Troy Oechsner, Executive Deputy Superintendent, Department of Financial Services;
  • Legislative Panel: Senate Health Chair Kemp Hannon; Assembly Health Chair, Richard Gottfried; Senate Insurance Chair, James Seward; Assembly Insurance Chair Kevin Cahill.

In addition, Assembly Majority Leader Joe Morelle and Senate Majority Leader John Flanagan have also agreed to attend the morning proceedings and Speaker Heastie has been invited to the event but has not yet confirmed his participation. A brief informal luncheon to which members of each House are invited to speak with their constituents will follow the morning program.   County Medical Societies will be scheduling appointments for physicians to meet with their elected representatives.

It is imperative for physicians to attend given the wide range of threats physicians face including legislation that would expand the statute of limitations with a broad date of discovery exception potentially increasing physician premiums by 14.5%; legislation to repeal the Trial Lawyers contingency fee limits, potentially increasing premiums by over 10%; significant reductions in eligibility of the Excess Program; legislation that will mandate physicians to take a 4-hour Pain Management CME course every two years; and a move to effectuate statutory and regulatory changes to implement a value-based payment structure under Medicaid and potentially to Medicare and commercial products as well. 

PHYSICIANS ARE ENCOURAGED TO IMMEDIATELY REGISTER THROUGH THE LINK BELOW TO ATTEND THE MARCH 8TH LOBBY DAY IN ALBANY.   http://goo.gl/forms/Mw7CX8JfzL      
(DIVISION OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS)
 


MSSNY Lobby Team to Conduct Pre-Lobby Day Webinars on Issues to be Discussed on March 8th
In advance of the Lobby Day, MSSNY DGA staff will offer two morning briefing programs so that you can hit the ground running on March 8th. Those briefing programs will be held on Tuesday, February 16 from 8:00-9:00AM and on Wednesday, February 24 from 7:30-8:30AM.

If you and/or your colleagues wish to participate on either of these briefing sessions, please register by clicking onto the appropriate link below.

February 16 briefing session: 8:00-9:00AM:

https://mssny.webex.com/mssny/k2/j.php?MTID=t20bd638fa04191a6a1ef419b97ccf6ec 

February 24 briefing session 7:30-8:30AM:

https://mssny.webex.com/mssny/k2/j.php?MTID=t93c8681382ad535070e436984c4e19ce
(DIVISION OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS) 


Physicians Invited to Attend Fireside Chat with MSSNY President Dr. Joseph Maldonado and Troy Oechsner, Deputy Superintendent of Insurance and Donna Frescatore, Executive Director of the NY State of Health
On March 7th, the evening before MSSNY’s Lobby Day, Joseph Maldonado, Jr., MD, MSc, MBA, will conduct a “fireside chat” with Troy Oechsner, Deputy Superintendent at DFS and Donna Frescatore, Executive Director for the NY State of Health in the MSSNY office. This is a relaxed and fluid format in which Dr. Maldonado, Mr. Oechsner and Ms. Frascatore can discuss issues of concern to the medical community (network adequacy, action taken by Emblem Health to narrow its network,  the collapse of Health Republic, etc). Physicians are invited to be physically present at this event in the DGA offices located at Ste 408, One Commerce Building, in Albany or can engage in real time by emailing their questions during the LIVE webcast of the event.  To View this event CLICK HERE.  The program will run for one hour from 5:30-6:30PM on March 7th.
(DIVISION OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS) 

Why Physicians Need to Take a Day Away from Your Practice To Lobby Albany on March 8, 2016
Think you pay too much in malpractice insurance costs?  The Trial Bar doesn’t care. They have introduced legislation that will certainly increase your premium costs.

  • If you practice in the Capital District, Southern Tier, Central NY, or Western NY, New York State wants to take away your Excess Liability Insurance Coverage.
  • New York State wants to enable NPs to deliver care to injured workers and take away County Medical Society review of authorized physicians rather than fixing the broken Workers Compensation system.
  • The Proposed NYS Budget does nothing to compensate physicians for the unpaid care they have provided to Health Republic insureds.
  • New York State wants to enable Walmart and Target to hire NPs to deliver care to the public to compete directly against you.
  • Patient health could be threatened by inappropriately expanding the scope of practice of countless non-physicians, including dentists, optometrists and psychologists.
  • We need to prevent insurers from offering patients narrow networks for Exchange plans and denying patient access to out of network physicians.

These are very real issues that are currently being discussed and will be resolved either in the State Budget which will be enacted by April 1st or before the end of Session on June 16th. You need to come to Albany, and speak with your elected officials so that they can hear your concerns. Otherwise, all they will hear are the perspectives of trial lawyers and insurance companies.


PLEASE JOIN YOUR COLLEAGUES FROM ACROSS THE STATE TO LOBBY YOUR ELECTED LEADERS IN PERSON IN ALBANY MARCH 8THREGISTER HERE.
 (DIVISION OF GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS)


Contact Your Legislators to Support a Health Republic Guarantee Fund (S.6667)
With the failure of the Executive Budget to include a Guarantee or other fund to cover the likely   hundreds of millions in payments due to Health Republic contracted providers, all physicians are urged to continue to contact their legislators and demand that the State Legislature take action to create such Guarantee or other fund to cover these costs as part of the State Budget process.

Senator David Valesky (D-Onondaga County) has introduced legislation (S.6667) to create such a Guarantee Fund.  The bill is co-sponsored by Senators Tony Avella (D-Queens), David Carlucci (D-Rockland County), Marc Panepinto (D-Erie County) and Diane Savino (D-Richmond County).  It is anticipated that similar legislation will be introduced in the Assembly shortly.

To read MSSNY’s memo in support of a Guarantee Fund, click here.

You must remind your legislators that, with physicians facing so many other challenges in seeking to keep their doors open to deliver patient care, including high liability costs, expensive electronic medical record equipment, employee costs, insurance companies dropping physicians from their networks and declining payments from insurers, failure to assure payment for these claims would have serious negative consequences for patient care and employment in your community.
(AUSTER, DEARS)


Please Complete Survey to Let Us Know What You Are Owed as a Result of Health Republic Debacle
As MSSNY continues its advocacy in support of a special fund to pay for the unpaid claims as a result of the Health Republic demise, we need you to take the time to complete a MSSNY survey to provide us with updated information regarding the amounts you are due from Health Republic.  To complete the survey, click here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/HRepublic2This data is critical to our advocacy efforts!  We thank the many of you who provided data in November detailing the amounts you are owed, but we need to obtain updated and more precise numbers since many legislators have asked us for this data.
(AUSTER, DEARS)

Physicians Urged to Oppose Huge Cuts to Excess Medical Liability Insurance Program
Physicians are urged to continue to contact their legislators (http://cqrcengage.com/mssny/app/onestep-write-a-letter?0&engagementId=161374) to object to a provision in the Executive Budget that would cause more than half of physicians currenty enrolled to lose their Excess Medical Malpractice Insurance coverage.     

MSSNY has expressed its strong opposition to these cuts in numerous meetings with Senators and Assemblymembers and in testimony to the Assembly Ways & Means and Senate Finance Committees.   To read MSSNY’s memo in opposition, click here.

Specifically, the proposal would cut funding by $25 million, with the effect that 55% of physicians who currently receive this essential coverage being dropped from the program.  Across much of upstate New York, only neurosurgeons, bariatric surgeons and OB-GYNs would keep this coverage.  That means that in the Capital District, in Northern New York, in Central New York, in western New York and in the Southern Tier every family physician, internist, pediatrician, ophthalmologist, emergency room physician, vascular surgeon, cardiologist, radiologist, pathologist, otolaryngologist, dermatologist and allergist would be automatically dropped.  And downstate, many primary care physicians, ophthalmologists, otolaryngologists, pathologists, dermatologists and allergists would be dropped.

The Excess Medical Liability Insurance Program provides an additional layer of $1M of coverage to physicians with hospital privileges who maintain primary coverage at the $1.3 million/$3.9 million level.  The program was created over 30 years ago as a result of the liability insurance crisis of the mid-1980’s to address concerns among physicians that their liability exposure far exceeded available coverage limitations.  Absent meaningful liability reform, with verdicts and physician liability premiums continuing to be far out of proportion compared to the rest of the country, full funding for the Excess program is absolutely essential in today’s very challenging practice environment.

At a time when the state is seeking to attract and retain physicians, this proposal deters physicians from wanting to practice in New York State for fear of putting themselves and their families in financial jeopardy for judgements and settlements exceeding the limits of their primary coverage.  Please urge your legislators to reject these cuts and restore full funding for the program!                         (AUSTER, DEARS)


Tell Your Legislators to Reduce Your Liability Costs, Not Expand Them!
All physicians must continue to contact their legislators to urge that they oppose legislation (A.285-A, Weinstein/S.6596, DeFrancisco) that could drastically increase New York’s already exorbitantly high medical liability premiums by changing the medical liability Statute of limitations to a “Date of Discovery” rule.   

You need to tell your legislators that no liability increases can be tolerated.  MLMIC’s estimate is that this bill could increase physician liability premiums by nearly 15%!   New York physicians continue to pay liability premiums that are among the very highest in the country.  By way of example, a neurosurgeon practicing on Long Island must pay an astounding $338,252 for just one year of insurance coverage and an OB/GYN practicing in the Bronx or Staten Island must pay $186,639.   New York far surpasses all other states in terms of total medical liability payouts, per capita payments, and medical liability awards above $1 million.

They also face rapidly increasing overhead costs to remain in practice such as the huge costs associated with implementing expensive and cumbersome electronic medical record systems.  At the same time, they face reduced payments from Medicare and commercial insurers, and many practices face losses of tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands and in some cases millions of dollars in losses due to the collapse of Health Republic.

And to make matters even worse, trial lawyers are aggressively pushing the Legislature to consider additional liability expansion bills such as legislation that would eliminate the statutory limitation on contingency fees in medical liability actions, legislation that MLMIC has estimated could have the effect of raising your premiums by over 10%.   Please tell your legislators to enact comprehensive liability reform to bring down these costs, not legislation that increases them!                                                                                  (AUSTER, DEARS) 


Physicians Urged to Continue to Oppose Adverse Workers Compensation Budget Proposal
All physicians should continue to contact their State Senators and Assemblymembers to express their strong opposition to sweeping Workers’ Compensation reform proposals contained in the Executive Budget.

MSSNY staff continues to meet with key legislative leaders and staff to voice its very serious concerns with Budget proposals that would:

  • Enable treatment of injured workers and direct payment for care by various non-physicians without clarity as to: how non-physicians treating patients with serious health conditions will coordinate patient care delivery when specialized care is needed; whether existing fees will need to be cut to cover this expanded list of care providers; and whether a non-physician can perform an IME of an injured worker to review the care provided by a physician to an injured worker;
  • Expand the circumstances when a physician or other health care provider can have their authorization removed and empowers the Board to impose significant fines on a physician or any other Board-authorized health care provider for violating a Workers Compensation rule;
  • Remove the authority of county medical societies to recommend physicians to serve as treating providers or independent medical examiners under Workers Compensation, which is currently an important peer review function provided by county medical societies to assure physician applications are complete and physician applicants are appropriately qualified to deliver this needed care to injured workers.
  • Reduce choice for injured workers by prohibiting an injured worker not subject to a collective bargaining agreement from seeking medical treatment from outside a Workers Compensation PPO before 120 days after his or her first visit to a PPO provider;
  • Remove the requirement for a referral by a physician for an injured worker as a pre-condition to receive psychological care;

Exacerbating these concerns is that the proposal also does not meaningfully address the many excessive administrative hassles and payment delays that have caused many physicians to be unable to participate in the Workers Compensation program.   While there have been some modestly positive actions taken by the WCB in recent years to encourage physician participation in the WC program through removal of arbitration fees and development of an electronic portal for facilitating authorizations from carriers, the Budget proposals if enacted could further chase physicians away from the program.

MSSNY has also reached out to labor organizations and associations representing attorneys for injured workers to coordinate its advocacy in opposition.  MSSNY has also been working closely with county medical society leadership from across the State to encourage their outreach to their local Senators and Assemblymembers to request that these proposals be jettisoned from the Budget.
(AUSTER, DEARS) 


Please Urge Support for Legislation to Accord Due Process Rights When Physicians Are Non-Renewed by a Health Insurer
Legislation (A.1212, Lavine/S.4751, Hannon) is back before the full Assembly that would assure physicians are accorded a fair peer review appeals mechanism before their participation contract with a health insurance company can be non-renewed.  The legislation is in response to situations such as the disrespectful way by which Emblem treated 750 of its network physicians who were unceremoniously dropped from the network in October based upon specious allegation of failure to transition to value-based payments, severing patient treatments relationships for countless patients.  MSSNY has strenuously urged to the Department of Financial Services, Department of Health, and Attorney General that these physicians be given a fair opportunity to be reinstated, and have shared this information with the entire New York State Legislature. (See MSSNY letter to DFS here.

A.1212 passed the Assembly overwhelmingly in 2015, but not the Senate.  Physicians can send a letter in support of this legislation here.  A customizable template is provided.                                                                                                           (AUSTER, DEARS)


Urge Your Legislators to Pass Legislation to Override Insurer “Fail First” Medication Policies
Concerned about insurer policies that require your patients to “fail first” on certain prescription medications before they are able to take the medication that you believe is most medically appropriate to improve their health?  MSSNY is working together with a number of patient advocacy groups in support of legislation (A.2834-A, Titone/S.3419-B, Young) to provide physicians with an expeditious manner to override an insurer “fail first” policy when it is in the best interest of their patients’ health.  To send a letter in support of this legislation click here.  To read an op-ed in the Albany Times-Union from earlier this week from Mental Health Association CEO Glenn Liebman articulating the need for this legislation, click here. (TU password required).
(AUSTER, DEARS) 


Third Webinar on Opioid Prescribing to be Held Feb 23rd; Registration Is Now Open
The third webinar in the opioid series will be held Tuesday, February 23rd at 7:30 a.m. Physicians and other prescribers are encouraged to register for the entire webinar series at this link.

Click on the upcoming tab and select the programs.

Physicians will need to register for each webinar; each webinar has different topics described below. Physicians and other prescribers are allowed to register up to ½ hour before the webinar.

The Medical Society of the State of New York, the New York State Office for Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Service and the NYS Department of Health’s Bureau of Narcotic Enforcement, are jointly providing this free, four part webinar series on opioid prescribing.  

Entitled, “Revisiting the Role of Opioid Analgesics for Simple and Complex Patients with Chronic Pain”.  Faculty for the session will be Jeffrey Selzer, MD and the educational objective:  Describe potential for patient addiction, screening, diagnosis and subsequent treatment or referral.

The fourth webinar will be held on Thursday, March 10, 2016, 7:30 a.m. Faculty: Charles E. Argoff, MD and Charles Morgan, MD, FASAM, FAAFP, DABAM and the educational objectives:  Recommend tools to assist in the management of patients for whom opioids are indicated and prescribed; discuss strategies to reduce risk of treating pain in patients with substance use disorders.

Physicians and other prescribers can take one or all of the webinars; each webinar has been accredited for one hour of continuing medical education credits.
(CLANCY, DEARS) 


To Physicians In Long Island, NYC, Hudson Valley, and Capital District: Please Complete This Survey Regarding Impact of Proposed Cigna-Anthem Merger
As many physicians know, Anthem, the parent of Empire Blue Cross/Blue Shield, has filed paperwork to acquire CIGNA.   MSSNY has written to the New York State Department of Financial Services and Attorney General’s office to express its concerns about the impact to patient care as a result of further health insurer consolidation.

State and federal regulators are very interested in knowing the prospective effects of these possible mergers on your practice and patient care.   In this regard, MSSNY working together with the American Medical Association Advocacy Research Center have developed a survey seeking physician input on the potential impact on these proposed mergers.

Last fall, the AMA released a report articulating the significant potential anticompetitive effects that would occur in numerous regions all across the country as a result of this merger.  Among the identified regions of concern in New York State were Long Island, New York City, the Hudson Valley, the Capital District and the Glens Falls area.  Therefore, physicians practicing in these regions are asked to complete the Survey!
(AUSTER) 


Influenza Declared Prevalent in New York State Requiring Unvaccinated Health Care Workers to Wear Masks
On Thursday, New York State Health Commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker declared influenza prevalent in New York State, subsequently requiring health care workers who are not vaccinated against influenza to wear surgical or procedure masks in areas where patients are typically present.

In a statement Dr. Zucker reasoned, “Health care workers play a vital role in containing the spread of the flu…Although flu shots are a safe and effective way to reduce the risk for flu, not all health care workers choose to get vaccinated. By requiring those who are unvaccinated to wear masks when they’re around patients, we’re doing what we can to protect the most vulnerable.”

So far this year the flu has been confirmed in 44 counties and all five boroughs of New York City, along with 817 flu-related hospitalizations.

More information about influenza and NYS’ monitoring techniques can be found here.
(MCPARTLON) 

NYS DOH to Conduct Webinar Update on Zika Virus
New York State Department of Health will be offering a session of the ‘Zika Virus Webinar: an Update for Healthcare Providers’ on Wednesday February 17th, 2016 at noon. This webinar will provide updated guidance on Zika virus and review Zika virus testing eligibility, processes, and interpretation of results The webinar is being offered again to provide clinicians with another opportunity to join. Additionally, the webinar will be posted on the NYSDOH website.

Zika Virus Webinar: An Update on New Guidance and Testing for New York State Healthcare Providers

Time: 12-1pm; Presenter: Elizabeth Dufort, MD, FAAP, Medical Director, Division of Epidemiology, New York State Department of Health.
Registration
(CLANCY)


MSSNY to Sponsor Free CME Webinar On Public Health Preparedness on Feb. 17th
Public Health Preparedness 101 will be the topic of MSSNY’s Medical Matters webinar on Wednesday, February 17, 2016 with. Kira Geraci-Ciardullo, MD, MPH and Arthur Cooper, MD, MS serving as faculty.  This program is designed to help physicians and staff on how to prepare professionally and personally for a public health emergency.  The program will begin at 7:30 a.m.   Registration is now open to physicians and other public health officials:.

Go to training session and click on the upcoming sessions tab.

The Medical Society of the State of New York is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Medical Society of the State of New York designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA/PRA Category 1 credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Further information or assistance in registering for any of these programs,  may be obtained by contact Melissa Hoffman at mhoffman@mssny.org.       
(
CLANCY, HOFFMAN)

For more information relating to any of the above articles, please contact the appropriate contributing staff member at the following email addresses:          

pschuh@mssny.org ldears@mssny.org            mauster@mssny.org  
pclancy@mssny.org jMcPartlon@mssny.org    

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DOH Commissioner Zucker: Flu Prevalent in New York
On February 11, State health commissioner Dr. Howard Zucker declared flu prevalent in New York State, meaning all health care workers who are not vaccinated must wear surgical masks when dealing with patients. The flu virus has been found in 44 counties and all five boroughs of New York City, according to the state health department. There have been no flu-related deaths so far this season.   “Health care workers play a vital role in containing the spread of the flu,” Dr. Zucker said. “Although flu shots are a safe and effective way to reduce the risk for flu, not all health care workers choose to get vaccinated. By requiring those who are unvaccinated to wear masks when they’re around patients, we’re doing what we can to protect the most vulnerable, which includes the sick and the elderly.”

So far this season in New York, 817 flu-related hospitalizations have been reported, and no reports of pediatric deaths from flu. Over the last three seasons, there have been 26 pediatric flu deaths in New York and an average of 9,966 flu-related hospitalizations each season.


New Cases of Hepatitis C  Increasing In NYC
The number of New York City residents newly diagnosed with chronic hepatitis C increased to 7,691 in 2014, a 13 percent jump from 2013 and the most new cases the city has seen since 2011.” According to a new report from the city’s health department “an estimated 146,000 New Yorkers over the age of 20 – 2.4 percent of that population – have hepatitis C.” According to the report, “an estimated 146,000 New Yorkers over the age of 20 – 2.4 percent of that population – have hepatitis C.  Bedford-Stuyvesant and Crown Heights lead the city in new HIV infections, according to data.


Travel Alerts on Zika Virus
The CDC has issued a Health Advisory on Zika Virus infections for returning travelers from Central America, South America, the Caribbean, and Mexico. The CDC has also issued a Level 2 Travel Advisory for those same areas. For maps of the latest affected areas, visit the websites for the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO).
·       Health Advisory: Zika Virus Testing Process – February 9, 2016 (PDF, 112KB)
Two additional cases of Zika virus infections have been identified in Suffolk County, bringing the statewide total to 12 cases. On February 11, the CDC reported that two women who contracted the Zika virus while traveling out of the country miscarried after returning home. The virus was later found in the placentas.


Gov. Cuomo Proposes Extending Confidentiality for Minors with HIV
The New York Times (2/11) reports, “A new proposal from Gov. Andrew M. Cuomo’s office seeks” to extend “to minors the confidentiality that is already given to them for the treatment of other sexually transmitted infections.” Currently, minors in New York “generally cannot be treated or get medication to prevent its transmission without parental consent,” which physicians “say can deter minors from seeking help.” In 2013, “only 48 percent of HIV-positive people aged 13 to 24 in New York took medications that reduced their virus levels to very low levels, compared with the overall statewide rate of 63 percent, the governor’s office said.”


Do You Want to Be on IPA Task Force? Looking for Leaders Successful Models
Do You Have Expertise in Physician Stress and Burnout? We Need You!

At the 2015 House of Delegates of the Medical Society of the State of New York, a resolution was passed calling for action to address the prevalence of physician burnout.

We need your help!

We are looking to assemble the MSSNY team to tackle this work. This calls for physicians who have experience or expertise in designing or implementing physician health programs or stress/burnout programs for physicians. Please contact eskelly@mssny.org with a short bio and letter expressing your interest, expertise and what you intend to bring to the taskforce to advance the mission of the project.



Physician Entrepreneurship: Transform the Future of Health Care.

Interested in opportunities to impact medicine beyond your clinical practice? Join the AMA for an exclusive event to discuss how physicians are getting involved in and, indeed, helping to lead health care innovation.

A dynamic panel of physicians will share their perspectives, accomplishments and insights gleaned as they’ve developed new products, formed companies, advised start-ups and invested in innovative health care ventures.

WHEN: 7 p.m., Tuesday, March 1. Cocktails and hors d’oeuvres will be provided.

WHERE: Impact Hub NYC, 394 Broadway, New York, NY
Register today! Free for AMA members. Limited seating available. $500 for non-AMA members.


Opinion: Repealing Certificate-Of-Need Laws Will Improve Healthcare in NY
Nathan Nascimento, director of state initiatives at Freedom Partners Chamber of Commerce, wrote an opinion piece for the Buffalo (NY) News (2/6) arguing that the states outdated laws and regulations, “including New York’s decades old certificate-of-need laws,” are contributing to the “troubling trend” of “rising costs and fewer choices in health care.” Nascimento concluded that “for the sake of New Yorkers, all of whom deserve access to the best and most affordable health care, state legislators in Albany should start 2016 by cutting the red tape blocking the door to the doctor’s office.” Adopted in 1966, it requires New York health care providers to obtain permission from the Department of Health before adding new medical equipment, opening a new facility, expanding a current practice or even relocating.

“In practice, certificate-of-need laws drive up costs and deprive people of more health care choices. It requires reams of paperwork – forcing health care providers to satisfy bureaucrats over their patients. This is all in addition to other licenses and training requirements physicians face. Although 14 states have repealed their own versions of these laws, New Yorkers continue to deal with the negative impact of this red tape.

When health care providers submit their applications for a certificate, competitors are often invited to weigh in, and frequently succeed in blocking the certificate from being granted. In fact, practicing physicians and hospital representatives even sit on many state certificate-of-need boards, regulating the very industry in which they work.


NY Presbyterian and Northwell Run Super Bowl Ads
Crain’s New York Business (2/5) reports that “rivals New York-Presbyterian and Northwell Health” launched new television advertisements during the Super Bowl on Sunday in order “to attract new patients.” New York-Presbyterian is running a Super Bowl ad “to highlight innovation and scientific discovery at the health system and its medical schools.” Northwell Health ran three ads to “highlight the 42,000 babies delivered at Northwell hospitals each year, which was also the theme of its commercial introducing its new moniker on Jan. 1.”

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OFFICE SPACE – Sutton Place
Newly renovated medical office. Windows in every room looks out to a park like setting on the plaza level. 2-4 exam rooms/offices available, possible procedure room or gym. Separate reception and waiting area, use of 3 bathrooms and a shower. Central air and wireless. All specialties welcome. Public transportation nearby. Please call 212-772-6011 or e-mail: advocate@medicalpassport.org

Office Rental 30 Central Park South
Two fully equipped exam rooms, two certified operating rooms, bathrooms and consultation room.  Shared secretarial and waiting rooms.  Elegantly decorated, central a/c, hardwood floors. Next to Park Lane and Plaza hotels. $1250 for four days a month. Available full or part-time. 212.371.0468drdese@gmail.com.


Jerome I. Sager – Attorney at Law
The health care law experts representing medical professionals for more than 25 years.  See us for Professional Medical Conduct Defense, Medicaid and Medicare Fraud Cases, DEA and Controlled Substance Issues, Third party insurance issues. 212-685-2333 / 917-312-6631, jeromesager@cs.com.



CALL FOR RATES & INFO. CHRISTINA SOUTHARD: 516-488-6100 ext. 355