MSSNY PULSE

What Physicians Need to Know About Employment Agreements

Friday, August 21, 2026

Big Five Coalition Urges CMS Administrator to Withdraw Dangerous Medicare Payment Proposal

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In a recent letter to Dr. Mehmet Oz, Administrator for the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) the elected leadership of the medical societies of California, Texas, New York, Florida, and Pennsylvania, known as the Big Five Coalition, expressed strong opposition to the proposed CY 2027 reduction in the Medicare physician conversion factor and urged the proposal be dropped. Together, the five states represented by the coalition are home to more practicing physicians than any others in the country: over 400,000 physicians, nearly 40 percent of the entire U.S. physician workforce.

This proposal is the continuation of a policy failure that has been in effect for over three decades. Considering inflation, Medicare physician payment has collapsed 53 percent since the advent of the Resource-Based Relative Value Scale (RBRVS) in 1992, a decline without parallel anywhere else in American medicine, and one that no other sector of the economy would tolerate for a single year, let alone thirty. Physicians are still the only participant in the Medicare program with no statutory mechanism to keep pace with inflation. Hospitals, skilled nursing facilities, and Medicare Advantage plans all receive built-in, predictable updates. Physicians do not, but are expected to treat more patients, absorb higher practice costs, and put patient access at risk.

The group is urging CMS to do the following:

Withdraw the proposed CY 2027 conversion factor reduction and replace it with a positive update reflecting the Medicare Economic Index.

Establish a permanent, statutory link between the physician conversion factor and the Medicare Economic Index, ending the annual cycle of cuts and temporary congressional patches.

Eliminate the site-of-service payment differential, which pays more for identical care simply because it is billed by a hospital-owned outpatient department rather than a physician’s office. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that expanding site-neutral payment across hospital outpatient departments, imaging, and drug administration would save Medicare more than 170 billion dollars over ten years, with no reduction in the care beneficiaries receive. This is a proven, scored source of federal savings that does not require cutting physician payment to achieve.

To send a letter to your member of Congress about this critical issue, go to MSSNY’s Grassroots Action Center (GAC). MSSNY will continue to monitor this critical issue and share updates as they develop.

Study Links Music Streaming Surges to Higher Traffic Fatalities

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Key Point: The study analyzed 233,809 U.S. traffic fatalities from 2017 through 2022.
Why it Matters: On major album release days, daily music streaming rose by 43%, while traffic fatalities increased by 15.1% compared with surrounding days.
Impact: Excess fatalities were higher among younger and male drivers, single-occupant crashes, sober drivers, clear weather conditions, and vehicles with infotainment systems.

Distracted driving conversations often focus on texting or phone calls, but smartphones now create many other opportunities for distraction behind the wheel. For New York physicians counseling patients and families, a new JAMA Network Open study offers a simple public health reminder: even routine phone use, including music streaming, can affect driver attention and safety.

The study examined 233,809 U.S. traffic fatalities from 2017 through 2022 and compared fatalities on major music album release days with the 10 days before and after those releases. Researchers found that daily music streaming increased by 43% on major album release days, while risk-adjusted traffic fatalities rose from 120.9 to 139.1 deaths, a 15.1% relative increase.

The authors noted that the findings do not prove that streaming directly caused each crash, but they suggest smartphone-enabled distraction may be an important contributor. Excess fatalities were higher among younger and male drivers, single-occupant crashes, sober drivers, clear-weather conditions, and vehicles with infotainment systems. MSSNY encourages New York physicians to share this practical message with patients: set music before driving, limit screen time, and treat infotainment systems as a potential source of distraction rather than a safety guarantee.

Smartphones, Online Music Streaming, and Traffic Fatalities (JAMA, Patel MS, MPH, Worsham, MD, MPH, and Liu, MD MPHIL, 8/17).

MSSNY Student Members: Save on Study and Board Prep Tools

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Medical students are managing intense coursework, board preparation, clinical expectations, and the financial pressure that comes with training. MSSNY is helping student members reduce some of that burden by offering savings on three educational platforms designed to support different study styles and stages of medical school.

Through the MSSNY Medical Student Member Offers page, students can compare discounts on AMBOSS, Sketchy, and Boards & Beyond and select the resource that best fits how they learn. The offers are designed to help students get through preclinical coursework, prepare for board exams, and move into clinical years with more confidence.

Running a Medical Practice is Hard Enough; Getting Paid Shouldn’t Be

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New York physicians are already managing payer delays, staffing pressure, rising costs, and patient care demands. Payment processing should not make practice operations harder.

As an exclusive MSSNY member benefit, Propelr offers private practices payment acceptance solutions built to simplify collections, reduce administrative friction, and help practices retain more revenue.

MSSNY members can contact Mark Bristow at [email protected] or 914-506-1984.

Occupational Medicine CME in D.C.

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The 2026 Regional Occupational Medicine Conference is set for October 16–18 in Washington, D.C., with up to 15.5 Live AAFP Prescribed credits available. Early-bird registration ends August 31.

Sessions will address practical issues including AI and digital privacy, workplace impairment, drug testing, utilization review, environmental health, and occupational injuries, giving physicians current guidance they can bring back to practice.
Register Now

Remembering Former MSSNY President Stanley L. Grossman, M.D., F.A.C.S, M.P.H.

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Stanley L. Grossman, 97, died peacefully at home on August 21, 2026, surrounded by his wife and loving sons. Born in Brooklyn, New York on August 14, 1929 to Sidney and Ida Grossman, he was a graduate of Columbia College, Downstate Medical School, and did his internship and residency as Chief Surgical Resident at Maimonides Hospital in Brooklyn New York.

After residency, he was commissioned in the Navy as a Lt. Junior Grade and rose to the rank of Lt. Commander at the Jacksonville Naval Air Station, FL.

In 1962, he moved to the Hudson Valley and set up his surgical practice which eventually became Mid-Hudson Surgical Associates in Newburgh, NY. He was involved with and held leadership roles in many organizations: President of the Medical Society of the State of New York; Chair of the NYS Board for Professional Medical Conduct; President of the Orange County Medical Society; NYS Delegate to American Medical Association; President of Temple Beth Jacob, Newburgh; and a founder of the Medical Liability Mutual Insurance Company (MLMIC). As part of his commitment to provide greater access to medical care, he helped establish Pru-Care in the Hudson Valley, an early HMO. Knowing that he could not practice surgery as he aged, he went back to school and earned a Master of Public Health from NYS Medical College in Valhalla, NY.

He married the love of his life, Adele, in 1952 and enjoyed 74 years of marriage. He is survived by Adele, his sons Steven (Heidi), and Richard (Adam), his beloved granddaughters Bari (Michallynn) and Jackie (Mariana), and his younger brother Paul (Vivian).

Funeral services are on Monday August 24 at 11 am at Temple Beth Jacob, 290 North St., Newburgh, New York.

NY Yankees Healthcare Appreciation Games

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Head to the stadium September 9^th and 10^th for the Yankees’ Fall Healthcare Appreciation Games!

All games come with a $15 voucher for food and drinks, and a Yankees Healthcare hat! Click here to purchase!

New York Moves to Finalize Overhaul of Out-Of-Network Billing Dispute Process

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Crain’s New York Business [8/19] reports that the New York Department of Financial Services has moved “to finalize the controversial overhaul of a process that settles out-of-network payment disputes between doctors and insurers — a move that is reshaping how New York handles surprise medical bills.” Last week the department published guidance “governing independent dispute resolution, a process created in 2015 to protect patients from surprise bills. The state created protocols that allowed an independent arbitrator to decide how much a provider should be paid in out-of-network billing disputes, rather than a patient remaining liable for the balance of the bill.” In an interview with Crain’s, MSSNY Executive Vice President Dr. Thomas Lee said, “The big winners are Medicaid managed care companies.” As well as the Empire plan that covers state employees, he notes. Dr. Lee concludes, “The losers are the patients who need care.'”

Legal Risks Medical Students Should Know Before Training and Practice

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For medical students entering clinical training, the shift from classroom to patient care brings legal, ethical, and professional responsibilities that will follow them throughout their careers.

MSSNY’s webinar, “Fundamental Legal Issues Medical Students Should Understand Before Training and Practice,” helps students identify key risks early. Topics include professionalism, patient privacy, HIPAA, social media use, licensing, disciplinary issues, and common pitfalls in training and early practice.

These issues matter because even small missteps can affect reputation, licensing, hospital privileges, and future job opportunities.

Featured speaker David N. Vozza, Esq., MSSNY General Counsel, will provide legal insights from his healthcare practice. Register Now

Before You Sign: What Physicians Need to Know About Employment Agreements

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For residents and early-career physicians, signing an employment contract is a major decision, but many have little training on how to review key terms like pay, workload, and restrictive clauses.

MSSNY’s webinar, “Physician Employment Agreements: What to Know Before You Sign,” will help physicians understand and review contracts with more confidence. It will cover compensation, wRVU targets, contract length, termination terms, call schedules, restrictive covenants, and malpractice/tail coverage.

These details matter because contracts affect not just salary, but also schedule, job flexibility, and future career options.

The session will also share basic negotiation tips and how to evaluate offers using benchmarks and guidance.

Featured speaker David N. Vozza, Esq., MSSNY General Counsel, will provide legal insights from his healthcare practice. Register Now

No Surprises Act: What New York Physicians Need to Know

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The No Surprises Act has changed how certain out-of-network billing disputes are handled, but many physicians may still be leaving significant reimbursement on the table because the process is difficult to understand and time-consuming to navigate.

MSSNY is offering a practical webinar, “The No Surprises Act: What New York Physicians Need to Know,” to help physicians understand what the law means for their practice. This session will explain the purpose of the No Surprises Act, when it applies, how it affects out-of-network billing, and how reimbursement disputes move through the federal Independent Dispute Resolution (IDR) process.

The program is designed for physicians, practice leaders, administrators, and billing teams who need clear, usable information—not a dense legal lecture. Attendees will gain a working understanding of how the law applies from the provider perspective and what steps may help ensure practices are not systematically underpaid by insurance carriers.

The webinar will feature Fernando J. Valencia, Chief Revenue Officer for Callagy Recovery, a nationally recognized educator and strategist on the No Surprises Act and federal IDR system. He will be joined by Thomas Lee, MD, MBA, Executive Vice President of MSSNY, a board-certified neurosurgeon and longtime physician advocate who helped lead efforts to enact New York’s surprise medical bill law.

Together, they will connect federal policy, practical reimbursement strategy, and the real-world challenges physicians face when trying to secure fair payment for care already delivered. For MSSNY members and New York physicians, this issue is not abstract; reimbursement instability affects staffing, access, operations, and the future sustainability of medical practice.

Learn, Protect, And Earn.

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August is the perfect time to earn CME credits while strengthening your malpractice defense. MLMIC offers accredited risk management courses—free for MSSNY members.

Protect Your Practice →