BUFFALO, N.Y. — Governor Andrew Cuomo announced on Sunday, as part of his 2021 State of the State address planned for Monday, he will be proposing several reforms he hopes will improve public trust in the healthcare system.
"Now more than ever, New Yorkers must have the highest confidence and trust in their health care providers," Cuomo said.
The changes include giving the public access to certain information about medical professionals' licenses and conduct history. The governor is also proposing changes to the licensing process for doctors and stronger investigative and disciplinary actions for medical misconduct.
"The health care community has been nothing short of heroic in their work to protect us from the threat of COVID, yet we have unfortunately continued to see certain instances of unscrupulous behavior," Cuomo said. "By implementing these common-sense reforms, we're not only strengthening penalties against bad actors, but we're improving the ability of investigators to root them out."
Cuomo says these reforms are a way to "modernize" the Department of Health's Office of Professional Medical Conduct. The governor intends to put forth legislation that will change the investigative process, change the Public Health Law in respect to the punishment of misconduct, and make sure the office has what it needs to do its' job in holding doctors accountable.
Additionally, legislation would include changes to the licensing process, where as of right now, physicians licensed in New York State do not have to renew their licenses. The proposed change would make physician licenses no longer life-long, and physicians would have to meet requirements to keep their license.
On the patient side of the legislation, proposed changes would also allow the public to access information about the medial professionals they see. This would allow the public to see the physician's license status and if there are ongoing misconduct investigations, "when appropriate."
The state would also put more energy into helping the public understand what to do if they are concerned about their doctor's conduct.
