Is YOUR DOCTOR Disappearing?

Wow! The lead/cover story in this week's LONG ISLAND PRESS is entitled, "Disappearing Doctors," and outlines the healthcare crisis on Long Island, emphasizing increasing liability insurance costs and decreasing managed care reimbursements to doctors as factors actually driving doctors out of business or off of Long Island!

My only nit to pick with this article is the sad and helpless tone with which it ends. They quote one doctor suggesting people do whatever they can to stay healthy and avoid being involved with our broken healthcare system. I see our patients, however, as a doctor's most powerful advocates. No one wants to see their doctor leave or even cut back hours. We won't even discuss the mess when a doctor drops out of the "Preferred Provider" Network!

Help your doctor today, by clicking on one of the links to the right and getting involved by contacting our local legislators. The men and women who make and vote on laws to protect all of us listen to the people who vote for them! Some of our legislators have told me they didn't even realize there was a problem, because no one ever speaks up. Some will not listen to one doctor and are waiting to hear from our professional societies.

They will, however, listen to you, our patients, and THEIR constituents. They say when a constituent calls or writes to a state or federal congressman, that person represents 10,000 voters. A click on a link to the right of this page would be that powerful. Could you lend your voice to the 10,000 people who will lose their doctor if the "perfect storm" of increasing liability insurance costs and decreasing doctor reimbursements from Medicare and HMO's goes on unchecked?

Would you do that for Your Doctor?

WHO IN THE WORLD IS PAUL NEWELL?

Paul Newell is a 33 year-old progressive Democrat running for a seat in the NYS Assembly in the 64th Assembly District. This district covers the lower end of Manhattan from the Bowery to Battery Park City. Some of the wealthiest New Yorkers live and work there. Some of the poorest New Yorkers live there as well. This district's current Assemblyperson is Sheldon Silver, who as speaker of the Assembly is arguably one of the most powerful people in NYS government. Many people blame Mr. Silver for the closed-door, "Three men in a room," style of government that seems to dominate the NYS legislature. Many physicians can recite a story of his response to civil justice reform on the State House floor in the 1990's, when he said, "Tort Reform? Over my dead body!"

This may be the kernel of why Your Doctor, and other Long Island physicians have chosen to support Mr. Newell's campaign, setting up a donation portal through ActBlue to spread the news online, holding fundraisers at hot spots in the Hamptons and even in their own backyards to help spread the news that this election season, change really may be coming. Not living in his district, Your Doctor can't actually vote for him, but there's no reason she cant support him. Newell is finding support from other areas outside of his district and even outside of New York, endorsed by political bloggers at The Albany Project, and the BlogPAC Blue to Bluer campaigns.

Governor Paterson released a statement in late August that brought many NY physicians a wave of relief. Malpractice insurance premiums are frozen at their current rate, and the threatened $50,000 surcharge will not be levied during the current policy year (July 1, 2008 - June 30, 2009). While that gives Your Doctor some breathing room, she (and reportedly more than half of NYS physicians) is running late on her premiums, and has been since the 14% increase in the summer of 2007. The system is broken, and only real legislative reform, improved quality control, and a culture shift away from the personal injury/lottery windfall mentality will fix it.

Perhaps a win for Paul Newell in the September 9 primary will be a start.

Click here to read The New York Times and The New York Post endorsements of Paul Newell.

FREEZE...HOLD IT RIGHT THERE!

0% RATE INCREASE.
NO $50,000 SURCHARGE.

During Governor Paterson's Emergency Legislative Session to rework the budget this week, both the Senate and Assembly approved a provision brought forth by the Governor's office to stabilize insurance premiums for the 2008-2009 policy year at the current rates and prohibit the levy of any surcharge on the insured physicians to make up for losses incurred by the insurance carriers and the state. Phew, what a relief.

TIME TO CHILL OUT -- OR RUN FOR MORE ICE?

NY MED MAL RATES DELAYED AND MEDICARE BILLING IS ON HOLD

STATE ANNOUNCES DELAY IN NEW MEDICAL MALPRACTICE RATES

New York State Insurance Superintendent Eric Dinallo announced today that he is delaying the setting of new medical malpractice insurance rates past July 1, 2008 to allow time for the negotiation of reforms that have the potential to result in reduced rates. When rates for 2008-2009 are determined, they will be retroactive to July 1, 2008.

Further details at NY State Medical Society's website.

CALL THIS NUMBER TODAY!!!

If you live in New York State, if you know a doctor, love a doctor, or go to a doctor please call this number to help keep good doctors from leaving New York:

1-866-728-3397

Punch in your zip code and speak your name to generate a personalized letter to Governor David Paterson, Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, and NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver. A few easy prompts and you will have done your part to preserve quality healthcare in New York. Your doctor will thank you. Spread the word, post this number at work and school. Show it to your friends. We need everyone in New York to call this number in the next ten days! Learn more about this issue at the Medical Society of State of New York website.

PICTURES FROM MARCH 4 RALLY

Here is a link to the some photos from the Medical Society.

"MARCH 4TH," A DATE AND A RALLY CRY!

The excitement is mounting. Over 150 people on at least three buses leaving from Mather and St. Charles Hospitals, and over 1,000 doctors thoughout New York State are committed to march in support of medical liability reform at the MSSNY Legislative Day in Albany. Never before in this area have physicians seemed so united. This from the Medical Society's newsletter:

There will be more physicians than ever before climbing aboard buses, trains and planes to attend MSSNY’s State Legislation Day on Tuesday, March 4. Everyone is feeling that it is time to take their complaints out of their office to a higher office— namely, our legislators in Albany.

Dr. Mark Gold, an OB-GYN from Lenox Hill who has been practicing for 26 years, called MSSNY earlier this week to say that his hospital’s entire OB-GYN staff of 70 physicians and auxiliary personnel are “on the bus” literally and figuratively. Dr. Gold said, “We must realize that we are all in this together and on the same team. We are getting our patients involved and some of our sister hospitals. We are at our breaking point and change must happen now!”

To date, we have 17 buses filled and we have more reserved for March 4.

Physicians in New York are suffering with the escalating med-mal insurance premiums and the overall practice environment. The average age of New York physicians is approaching 55 years. There are shortages of physicians in many areas of our state. Our retention of medical students and residents training in New York is 13% at best. Given the wide differences between lawyers and physicians, political action is the only way physicians can level the playing field. These problems are creating a “perfect storm” for real change.

Your Doctor will be there, too.

WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW ABOUT YOUR DOCTOR

I am your doctor, and I need your help. The New York State Superintendent of Insurance has approved a $50,000 surcharge over and above a 15 to 25% rate hike on my medical malpractice insurance, effective July 1, 2008. I cannot afford to pay such an increase, and if I don’t I will have to shut down my practice.

I have been practicing Colon and Rectal Surgery in this area since October 2000. In that time I’ve done thousands of colonoscopies and anorectal operations and hundreds of major colon surgeries. Maybe I’ve taken care of your mother, your husband, or you. I get along well with nurses and staff at the hospital. My colleagues trust me with their patients. I am famous for my “bedside manner.” I read all the time, study and go to conferences to keep up with the latest developments in my field. I teach once a week at the medical school. I’ve never been sued.

I thought for a while I was alone. I knew I had higher premiums than doctors who are in primary care. When my own primary care physician left New York, to practice medicine in Kentucky, I thought she was homesick. When my patients told me their other doctors were not taking certain insurance plans, I thought it was greed. When I lost my job with another practice, I thought it was just poor business sense. Then the AMA named New York State one of its “crisis” states. Even President Bush pushed for medical liability reform, supporting federal legislation favoring caps on non-economic damages and frivolous lawsuits.

When I started my own practice, I got a break, a stepped discount on premiums for my first couple of years. Now out of this protected period, I was shocked to write out checks for thousands, then tens of thousands every three months to keep my policy in force. Shocked last July at a 14% rate increase, and shocked again this January to hear of the 15-25% increase and $50,000 surcharge in store for this July. I made some drastic changes at the office, joined an ad-hoc committee on my medical staff, wrote a check for over $13,000 for the next three months, and held my breath. My payroll service called today to ask why I haven’t written a paycheck, even to myself, for almost two months.

I am a surgical subspecialist. My colleagues and I are some of the highest paid doctors in the world. Yet I am struggling. I can’t imagine how your other doctors, your family practitioner, your pediatrician, your gynecologist are surviving.

I am your doctor, but more than that, I am your sister, your neighbor, your friend. I’ve seen you at the library, at BJ’s, at Kohl’s. My children go to school with yours. My daughter is in Girl Scouts with your daughter. My husband coaches your son’s little league team. This health care crisis affects all of us.

I don’t live in a big house. I don’t drive a fancy car. But, you know, I take good care of my patients. Some of you have said, “I wish you were my doctor for everything!” If this crisis continues, and malpractice rates continue to rise, I will be your doctor for nothing.

HOW TO HELP YOUR DOCTOR

To learn more about the Malpractice Insurance Crisis, click HERE.

To contact your local representative to support legislation favoring reform, click HERE.

CLOSING THE OFFICE

On March 4, 2008, my office will be closed. I will not see patients. I will not operate or do colonoscopies. I will not make rounds. I will not write, sign, or read any medical records. I will not teach medical students. I will not open mail, check my email, or return phone calls. All calls to my office will be directed, by an answering machine, to call 911 or report to the nearest emergency room with any true medical emergencies.

I am joining a state-wide coordinated effort to demonstrate physician support for Medical Liability Reform. March 4, 2008, I will join busloads of my colleagues on a trip to Albany for the Medical Society of the State of New York’s annual Legislative Day. Representative physicians will meet with their local representatives to the New York State Senate and with the senators and assemblymen in charge of healthcare.

A medical malpractice crisis exists in New York State and without real reform of existing laws and policies, it will result in limited access to health care. In plain English, YOUR DOCTOR IS STRUGGLING.

In the past year I have taken all of the following drastic measures to meet the rising premiums on my Malpractice Insurance policy, while accommodating heavily discounted reimbursements paid by Medicare and managed care plans:

• Restricted my practice to Colon and Rectal Surgery (in which I have advanced, fellowship training), performing little to no surgery that could be considered general surgery.


• Refrained from taking General Surgery Emergency Room call.


• Terminated my relationship with the lowest paying managed care plans.


• Decreased the number of hours devoted to direct patient care.


• Lost a medical assistant due to our decreased hours.


• Worked without a medical assistant for over seven months.


• Hired my husband as my office manager.


• Typed my own consultation letters.


• Switched billing companies.


• Stopped my answering service.


• Borrowed from family.


• Borrowed from friends.


• Borrowed from credit cards.


• Defaulted on credit cards.


• Defaulted on medical school loans.


• Defaulted on my mortgage.

The check for my most recent premium payment, over $13,000, was posted yesterday at 2p.m., just ten hours before my policy was scheduled to be cancelled. I was overjoyed to care for an office full of patients today, as I will be for the next three months, except, of course, for March 4th.