Mayor DeBlasio has issued an Emergency Executive Order requiring New York City Hospitals and ASCs to cease performing elective procedures.  

Garfunkel Wild, P.C. has recorded and shared the following information.

With support from the American Society of Plastic Surgeons, the New York State Society of Plastic Surgeons (NYSSPS) is following the progression of COVID-19 in New York and the United States. Your leadership has been serving on decision-making committees shaping policies, passionately discussing the effects of the virus on plastic surgery practice in NY, and staff is working to be the voice of plastic surgery at the state government during this difficult time.

Our goal is to protect you, discern and prioritize information, advise the government on your current status and needs, and respond to member’s inquiries. It is with this in mind that NYSSPS has decided to postpone the in-person annual advocacy day in Albany on April 29th.  When the time is right, we will provide you with more information on how to meet with legislators to discuss issues impacting your practice in light of the current events and in the months to come.    

NYSSPS is here to help you protect your profession and your patients’ safety that’s why you can use as a resource to cull through the inundation of information and stay apprised of the rapidly changing world.

Additionally, our strategic partnerships with Garfunkel Wild, PC and The Doctors Company will help shed guidance on how to position your practice during this challenging time.   

Should you encounter barriers or questions, please email them to NYSSPS as we diligently work to provide you with resources and answers. We are ready and mobilized to let the state government know what it’s like in the field, and what you are facing in order to help inform their decision making and policies. Send your questions here: nyssps@gmail.com

Thank you for your service to your patients and for always putting patient safety first. 

COVID-19 Resources for New York Members

Physicians should utilize the New York State Department of Health website that has up-to-date information on COVID-19 and includes information on known cases of COVID-19, cleaning and disinfection guidance, help for childcare providers and schools, and guidelines for individuals who have recently traveled internationally.
https://health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/coronavirus/providers.htm

Reporting
COVID-19 is a reportable disease.  If novel Coronavirus is suspected, immediately notify the local health department (LHD) where the patient resides.

Health care providers should review: CDC's Interim Guidance for Healthcare Professionals Evaluating Persons Under Investigation (PUI)

Free Communication Resources  CDC offers free resources including video, fact sheets, and posters. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/communication/index.html

Additional Resources
CDC Website for Healthcare Professionals 
https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-nCoV/hcp/index.html

Governor Cuomo's proposed Health Budget bill contains measures to bypass important due process protections for physicians during disciplinary proceedings. The proposal would, among many other provisions, allow the Commissioner of Health to disclose to the public that a physician is under disciplinary investigation or summarily suspend a physician with only a minimal finding of risk to the public, as opposed to the much stronger “imminent danger” standard now required for bypassing existing due process protections.

This measure impacts both private practice and employed physicians

The Solution
Ask your elected representatives to remove these provisions from the Governor’s Budget.

We're closer to getting full insurance coverage for congenital anomalies than we've ever been. Our bill has been introduced in both houses and now we need to get as many assembly members and senators to sign on as co-sponsors. That's where you come in. We need you to reach out to your legislators and ask them to co-sponsor the bill in their respective houses.

It's quick and easy--you can either email or send a message over social media. Just enter your information on the form and you'll be on your way to letting your legislator know how important this bill is to children across New York State.

1in38 Advocacy Day - Join us on 2/25/2020

Bull Moose Club
150 State Street, Floor 4 (Franklin Room)
Albany, NY 12207

8:00am    Opening Remarks and Briefing
10:00am  Legislative Appointments Begin
4:00pm    Conclude

> REGISTER TODAY!

Support A.8890 (Simon), Give Kids A Chance–Carter’s Law so that New York health insurance companies can no longer routinely deny coverage for medical procedures and therapies they consider not medically necessary.

Take a stand and help kids get a chance at a full and productive life!
> Sign the Petition

Background
In New York, 1 in 38 babies are born with a congenital anomaly. On average, children with congenital anomalies can expect anywhere from three to five surgical procedures throughout their childhood to restore a more normal appearance and function.

Although insurance carriers may provide coverage for the initial procedures, they may resist coverage of the later stage procedures, claiming they are cosmetic and not medically necessary. Denial or delay of these procedures – which by definition are reconstructive – could lead to long-term physical, functional, and psychological injuries.

To a layperson, repair of a congenital anomaly may seem cosmetic in nature. However, reconstructive surgery is performed to treat structures of the body affected aesthetically or functionally by congenital or developmental abnormalities, trauma, infection, tumors, or disease. It is generally done to improve function and ability, and may also be performed to achieve a more typical appearance of the affected structure.

Coverage should also be provided for healthcare services that help an individual keep, learn, or improve skills and functioning for daily living. Habilitative services may include physical and occupational therapy, speech-language pathology, and other services for people with disabilities in a variety of inpatient and/or outpatient settings.

 The NYSDOH’s Office of Quality and Patient Safety has developed a new electronic adverse event reporting (AER) tool that will be easily accessible and assist OBS practices in reporting adverse events as required by Public Health Law § 230-d.

The new electronic AER is designed to assist OBS practices in reporting adverse events and submitting medical records more efficiently.  It will also allow the OBS program to identify trends in adverse events and opportunities for quality improvement in OBS practices. 

The OBS program anticipates launching the electronic AER tool February 3, 2020.  Additional information will be provided to the practices as we move closer to the launch date of the electronic AER tool including written & video instructions for using the tool. 

Should you have any questions, please contact the Office of Quality & Patient Safety, OBS Program at (518) 408-1219 or at obs@health.ny.gov.

CMS final rules recently went on display updating payment polices for services furnished in a physician office or in a hospital outpatient setting. These final rules address some of the concerns ASPS and other medical societies raised, while others are yet to be fully addressed.

Plastic surgeons should be aware of new Medicare Prior Authorization policy, set to become effective on July 1, 2020, that will require hospitals to show the medical necessity of blepharoplasty, botulinum toxin injections, panniculectomy and rhinoplasty procedures before Medicare will provide reimbursement. For private practices to obtain prior authorization, medical information will need to be forwarded to the hospital before the procedure can be scheduled. 

> Learn more about the new payment policies

The Fraser Institute in Canada released their annual "Waiting Your Turn" report. Researchers found that wait times for medically necessary treatment increased in 2019. Specialists surveyed reported a median wait time of 20.9 weeks between referral from a general practitioner and when the individual received the treatment. That's up from 19.8 weeks in 2018. 

The longest wait is for orthopedic surgery, at 39.1 weeks. Plastic surgery and ophthalmology have the second and third longest waits, respectively. 

The New York Health Act has overwhelming support in the Assembly and is gaining ground in the Senate. Hearings have taken place across the state and NYSSPS was there represented by founding NYSSPS member, Dr. Scot B. Glasberg. While in strict opposition to this bill, we recognize that there is a distinct possibility of it becoming the law of our land. The impact will be a complete overhaul of healthcare in NYS and the eventual elimination of private health insurance. We have been actively involved to try to shape the language in the bill and in particular, to ensure that if this bill does pass, that reimbursement will be in excess of the cost required to provide care. You can see Dr. Glasberg’s testimony HERE

Sponsors of the New York Health Act often point to Canada's healthcare system as a model that New York State should seek to move toward. However, the Fraser Institute research shows that such a system can lead to problems like longer wait times, which then leads to poorer medical outcomes and higher costs to individuals.