NYACP Call to Action: Legislative Bills Will Add Additional Mandates – Contact Your Representatives

Source: NYACP

Call to Action Dear Member,

The Chapter wants to bring to your attention two important pieces of legislation adding two additional mandates to your practice.  We ask for your help today in opposing the following bills:

  • S.2947 sponsored by [Senator Hannon] mandates that all health care practitioners complete course work or training regarding pain management and palliative care every four years. Its companion bill A.1124 [Assemblywoman Rosenthal] has already passed the Assembly.
  • S.2750A [Senator Hannon] requires hospitals and physicians providing primary care to offer hepatitis C testing. Its companion bill A.1286A [Assemblyman Zebrowski] has already passed the Assembly.

Physicians recognize and actively participate in continuing medical education. quality improvement and engage in the use of evidence based guidelines and best practices.

These two bills impose “disease” specific rules, training requirements and insert new mandates into the physician-patient relationship.  The burden of so many requirements for discussions and test offerings interferes with the need to focus the patient on his/her presenting condition and on assessment and education around the patient’s overall health.

These mandates and their required recordkeeping are distracting and do not contribute to care improvement especially in practices already stretched to their limits.

How to Take Action
Please follow this link to contact your local representatives and express your concerns. A sample message is provided for you to personalize, be sure to add an opening and closing statement and edit the letter as necessary to reflect your own practice situation.  It will take you less than one minute!

If you would like to see the Sponsor’s justification for each of these bills visit:

Contact Us:
New York Chapter, American College of Physicians  744 Broadway, Albany, New York 12207  |  Phone: 518-427-0366
Click the link below to log in and send your message:
https://www.votervoice.net/link/target/nyacp/G5N56if3.aspx