MSSNY PULSE

Physician Burnout Trends Improve, But Pressures Remain for NY Physicians

Friday, May 8, 2026

NY Physicians Stress Final State Budget Must Reject Proposals that Impede Access to Care

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Colleagues:

On Friday, I released the following statement to the press:

“As the Legislature and Governor finalize the 2026–27 State Budget, it is imperative that they take decisive action to preserve patient access to skilled primary and specialty physician care in communities and hospitals across New York State.

“This includes protecting access to a fair Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process and ensuring continued full funding of the Excess Medical Malpractice Insurance Program. Both are essential to retaining physicians in New York and ensuring that patients continue to have access to care in hospital emergency departments and communities throughout the state. Several budget proposals currently under consideration would severely undermine these critical programs and must be rejected in the final Budget….

Click Here to Read The Full Press Release

All the best,

Mark J. Adams, MD, MBA, FACR
MSSNY President

Capital Update May 8, 2026

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Last Chance to Contact Your Legislators on Pending State Budget Issues

The State Legislature and the Governor are closing in on a final agreement on the State Budget, and Budget bills may begin to be considered next week. In this regard, it is imperative that physicians immediately communicate to their legislators on the several pressing State Budget health care policy issues under negotiation that will exacerbate the significant challenges facing physician care delivery across the State if they are adversely decided.

Urge Your Legislators to Reject Steep Increases in Medical Liability Costs.

Please urge the Legislature to reject the Governor’s proposal to impose $40 million in new costs to the 16,000 physicians who receive Excess Medical Malpractice Insurance coverage by requiring them to pay 50% of the coverage cost. Reject Physician Cost-Share.

Urge Your Legislators to Protect Access to a Fair Dispute Resolution Process.

Please urge the rejection of the Executive Budget proposal that threatens immediate specialty care availability in Emergency Departments across New York State by upending New York’s innovative IDR payment resolution process for non-participating provider claims, altering the criteria to make it one-sided towards health insurer interests and eliminating ability to appeal out of network Medicaid Managed Care disputes to IDR. Protect Fair IDR Process.

Urge Your Legislators to Preserve Physician-Led Team Care.

Please urge the rejection of the Executive Budget proposal to permit many Physician Assistants (PAs) to practice without any defined physician supervision after 8,000 hours practice, despite a law implemented last year giving PAs significantly more care responsibilities. Preserve Physician-led Care.

Urge Your Legislators to Preserve County Medical Society Peer Review.

Please urge the rejection of the Executive Budget proposal to eliminate the historical vetting role of the county medical society in recommending physicians to participate in the Workers’ Compensation program. Preserve Workers’ Compensation Peer Review

Urge Your Legislators to Enact Meaningful Reduction in Prior Authorization Hassles. Support Prior Authorization Reform

Please urge the inclusion of the Executive Budget proposal supported by MSSNY to: prohibit health insurers from requiring a prior authorization more than once per year for treating a chronic health condition; requiring greater transparency of health plan formularies; requiring greater transparency of prior authorization denials; and to provide a 90-day transition period for a patient to continue to be treated by that patient’s physician if the patient changes their health plan coverage.

MSSNY Joins Several Other Groups to Oppose Pass-Through Entity Tax Credit Changes

MSSNY has joined with 15 other medical and dental advocacy organizations in a letter to legislative leaders and the Governor to express opposition to proposals under serious discussion in the State Budget that would significantly alter the Pass-Through Entity Tax (PTET) credit used by many business partnerships and S Corporations, including physician practices.

Specifically, the State Senate one-House Budget proposal contains provisions to reduce the PTET credit to 90% across New York State, and the Assembly one-House Budget proposal contains provisions for the reduction of the PTET credit in New York City, limiting it to 75%. Governor Hochul has expressed her strong opposition to any reduction in the PTET credit.

The current state/local tax structure permits owners of pass-through businesses to claim a federal deduction that is roughly equivalent to the full, pre-cap State and Local Tax (SALT) deduction. Normally, income earned through a pass-through business is taxed directly to the owner on the owner’s individual return. The PTET works by shifting that tax payment to the business level, so that what would otherwise be a capped personal SALT deduction instead reduces the business income passed through to the owner, with the owner then receiving a corresponding state tax credit.

MSSNY and other organizations have raised concerns that the tax change would essentially be causing double taxation, for both the business and personal income tax payments. It would be one more factor accelerating the closure of community-based medical practices, as physicians increasingly find the financial challenges of running a practice leave them no choice but to become a health system employee. The medical and dental associations letter notes that “The proposed reductions, limiting the credit below 100%, would fundamentally alter that structure. What was intended as a neutral, dollar-for-dollar mechanism would instead become a real tax increase on professional income that has already been taxed at the entity level. For the many professionals operating small practices and managing rising equipment and staffing costs, this change would directly reduce the resources available to reinvest in patient care, staff compensation, technology, and community services.”

Please remain alert for further updates.

Hospital Associations Join MSSNY in Urging that Anthem Rescind Policy Limiting Hospital Care by Certain Physicians

Both the Healthcare Association of New York State (HANYS) and Greater New York Hospital Association (GNYHA) have written to the New York Department of Financial Services (DFS) urging that DFS direct Anthem to rescind a policy slated to go into effect July 1 that would penalize hospitals with a 7.5% reduction in payments if an out-of-network physician is involved in the patient’s treatment. The HANYS and GNYHA letters note that the misguided policy is inconsistent with existing provider contracts and violates several long-standing sections of New York state insurance law that prohibit health insurance plans from linking the hospital’s network status to the status of a staff physician.

MSSNY also recently issued a statement objecting to this new Anthem/Elevance policy, noting it will significantly harm patient access to often-urgently needed care by limiting physicians available at hospitals to deliver care, and by harming the many financially stretched hospitals across our state. MSSNY’s statement noted that “The end result of this short-sighted policy will be further consolidation in our healthcare system, and/or reduced patient access to immediately needed care at in our hospitals across the State, including in already overstressed emergency departments. Our policymakers must step in to make sure it is not permitted to go forward before patient access to care is harmed.”

New York is the latest state where Anthem/Elevance has attempted to implement this short-sighted policy that could exacerbate existing healthcare shortages by potentially limiting the availability of physicians to provide patient care in hospitals. The California Hospital Association recently announced that it was suing Anthem to prevent it from implementing this policy.

Please remain alert for further updates on this issue.

Senate Passes Bill to Ban Use of Step Therapy for Treatments for Serious Mental Health Conditions

The New York State Senate passed legislation this week (S.4867A- Fahy) that prohibits the use of “step therapy,” also known as “fail first” protocols for coverage of treatments for serious mental health conditions.

Step therapy requires patients to try a sometimes less costly and usually less effective treatment than the one prescribed by a patient’s physician, and to “fail first” before the insurer will cover the original, prescribed therapy. This often leads to patients taking medications they previously tried without success, often enduring lengthy waits for approval to switch to the correct medication and frequently suffering serious side effects. As a result, these policies often have the opposite intended impact of saving money and actually increase costs due to patients needing special care including hospitalization and emergency room visits to stabilize. For people suffering from serious mental health conditions, the consequences can be dire.

The Assembly version of the bill (A.7522A-Lavine) was referred to the Assembly Insurance Committee. MSSNY will continue to track and provide updates as they become available.

Happy Mother’s Day

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MSSNY recognizes and celebrates the physician mothers, caregivers, mentors, and family members whose compassion and resilience strengthen both medicine and our communities.

To the mothers balancing patient care with family life, long hours with unwavering dedication, and leadership with compassion, thank you for everything you do for your patients, colleagues, and loved ones. Your commitment continues to inspire physicians across New York State.

MSSNY also honors the mothers who support physicians behind the scenes, offering encouragement, sacrifice, and strength throughout every stage of the journey in medicine.

From all of us at MSSNY, we wish you a peaceful, meaningful, and well-deserved Mother’s Day.

When Crisis Strikes: Preparing Physicians for the Unexpected

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“When Bad Things Happen to Good Doctors: Crisis Management for Physicians,” a dynamic expert panel discussion focused on practical strategies for navigating professional and regulatory challenges with confidence. The program is designed for physicians at every stage of their careers and will provide actionable insight into managing high-pressure situations while protecting physicians’ well-being, professional reputation, and patient trust.

The panel will feature experienced leaders in healthcare law, medical ethics, physician health, and academic medicine, including MSSNY Member Jeffery Selzer, MD, Medical Director of the Committee for Physicians Health. Additional panelists include Andrew Garbarino, Esq., Alex Bateman, Esq., MSSNY Member Maria Basile, MD, MBA, and Caitlyn Tabor, JD. Together, they will discuss legal exposure, regulatory oversight, professional accountability, and strategies physicians can use to navigate uncertainty before challenges escalate.

The event will take place on Wednesday, May 13, 2026, at Ruskin Moscou Faltischek P.C. in Uniondale, NY, with networking beginning at 5:30 p.m. and the presentation running from 6:00–7:30 p.m. Register

Physician Burnout Trends Improve, But Pressures Remain for New York Physicians

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Key Point / Outcome: National data shows physician burnout declining slightly, now at 41.9%, with improved job satisfaction and engagement.
Why it Matters for New York Physicians: Burnout remains uneven across specialties, with some facing significantly higher stress levels.
Impact on Practice: Administrative burden, staffing shortages, and inefficient systems continue to drive daily strain.
What MSSNY is Doing: Advocating for reduced administrative barriers and policies that support physician well-being.

For physicians navigating increasing administrative demands and workforce challenges, signs of improvement in burnout trends offer cautious optimism but not relief. Recent national data show that physician burnout has declined modestly to 41.9%, with gains in job satisfaction and engagement across healthcare systems. However, these improvements do not fully reflect the daily realities many physicians continue to face.

Burnout remains highly variable across specialties, with emergency medicine, surgical fields, and oncology reporting some of the highest stress levels. These differences underscore a critical point: physician well-being is not a one-size-fits-all issue. The pressures experienced in one specialty or one practice setting can differ significantly from those in another, requiring more targeted and practical solutions.

Across the board, physicians continue to identify the same core challenges driving burnout. Inefficient electronic health record systems, inadequate staffing, excessive administrative tasks, and limited control over schedules remain persistent stressors. These are not abstract concerns; they directly impact how physicians care for patients, manage their practices, and sustain their careers.

MSSNY recognizes that addressing burnout requires more than acknowledgment; it requires action. That includes continued advocacy to reduce unnecessary administrative burdens, support fair reimbursement structures, and ensure physicians have the resources needed to deliver care effectively. Just as importantly, it means amplifying the voice of New York physicians to ensure policy decisions reflect real-world practice conditions.

Charted: The most (and least) burned out physician specialties (Advisory, 4/28).

Attention Physicians: Are You Being Underpaid by Optum?

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If you are billing CPT code 95165 and are being underpaid by Optum, please email our Physician Payment and Practice Division, as we may be able to help.

Family Medicine Career Can Take You Anywhere, Says AAFP Leader

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MSSNY member Tochi Iroku-Malize—a mentor for MSSNY’s Women Physicians Leadership Academy, as well as former president of the American Academy of Family Physicians—highlights how family medicine offers limitless career pathways, from global health and clinical care to leadership, research, and advocacy. Drawing on her international background and leadership at Northwell Health, she emphasizes mentorship and purpose, noting, “This specialty will take them anywhere they want to go,” and encouraging physicians to keep evolving, adding, “Family docs don’t retire—we just reinvent ourselves.” Read more.

Learn from a Survivor: Strengthening Vaccine Conversations in Practice

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According to the World Health Organization, years of progress in reducing, and in some cases nearly eliminating, many vaccine-preventable diseases are now under threat. Meningococcal disease is one such illness, with cases increasing since 2021. Register now for Beyond the Diagnosis—Lessons in Vaccine-Preventable Diseases from a Survivor’s Perspective on May 20^th at 7:30 a.m. to learn more. The faculty member for this webinar is Jamie Schanbaum, a septicemic meningitis survivor, gold medal Paralympic cyclist, and Director of Legislative Affairs & Strategic Partnership for the J.A.M.I.E. Group.

Register here.

Educational Objectives:

Communicate the importance of timely vaccination to patients and families using evidence-based strategies and appropriate personal narrative.
Discuss the long-term physical and psychosocial impacts of vaccine-preventable diseases through the lens of lived patient experience.

*This program is supported in whole by a DHHS grant entitled New York State Hospital Preparedness Program

Additional information or assistance with registration may be obtained by contacting Melissa Hoffman at [email protected].

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.

Plan Ahead, Retire Stronger

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Spring Cleaning? Perfect time to plan your retirement strategy. The Life Income Plan provides tax-free growth and liquidity designed for physicians in New York.

Learn About the Plan →