Governor Hochul’s Attention on NPs and Workers Comp
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Colleagues:
In her State of the State message, Governor Hochul has focused on expanding the ability of New Yorkers to receive needed care, including expanding health plan network adequacy standards and providing stronger incentives for physicians to participate in the Workers’ Compensation program. However, there are several missteps that seem to enhance access but decrease the quality of care.
Some proposals eliminate the important oversight physicians provide over the care provided by physician assistants and expand the role of Psychiatric NPs in the emergency departments. A far better use for Psychiatric NPs would be to expand programs to meet mentally ill patients where they are, on the street, in the subways, in public places, and have the NPs answer to a supervising Psychiatrist.
Other proposals would eliminate the role of County Medical Societies in vetting physicians for participation in the Workers’ Compensation program, make all physicians and medical residents eligible to do Workers Comp, and move all licensing oversight to the Department of Health. The role of the Counties for Workers Comp was established by statute many generations ago. The wisdom of the Legislature at that time was that the State can establish objective requirements for granting a license to practice, but that is not enough to mitigate the potential for fraud and abuse. For that, the State needs the expertise of the local physicians to vet applicants for moral fitness. To protect our patients, and to protect the integrity of the Workers Comp system, it is necessary that our Counties continue their role, as they have been diligently doing so without scandal or complaint for generations.
Your MSSNY Workers Compensation Committee Chair, Dr. Gasalberti, will be convening a meeting very soon on this matter, and the MSSNY Council has its regular meeting on January 23.
If you have already donated to MSSNYPAC, I thank you very much for your foresight for this pivotal new year. The Governor has put a lot on the line, and we need money and your support. Please encourage your friends and colleagues to donate to MSSNYPAC now.
All the best,
Jerome C. Cohen, MD
MSSNY President
