CENTER FOR MEDICAL CONSUMERS
NEW YORKERS FOR PATIENT & FAMILY EMPOWERMENT
NEW YORK PUBLIC INTEREST RESEARCH GROUP (NYPIRG)
News Release
| For Immediate Release | FOR MORE INFORMATON:. |
| Thursday, August 21, 2014 | Blair Horner 518 727 4506 NYPIRG Arthur Levin 917 836-7596 Center for Medical Consumers Suzanne Mattei 646 465-3635 New Yorkers for Patient & Family Empowerment |
REPORT: NUMBER OF DOCTORS IN NEW YORK STATE HAS INCREASED,
NOT DECLINED
NEW YORK STATE RANKS SECOND IN THE NATION
IN PER CAPITA NUMBER OF PRACTICING DOCTORS
NEW YORK STATE HAS AMONG THE HIGHEST PER CAPITA NUMBER OF OB/GYNS, GENERAL SURGEONS, AND INTERNAL MEDICINE SPECIALISTS IN THE NATION
The ranks of doctors have swelled dramatically in New York and the state ranks near the top in the nation, according to a new report by a coalition of patient safety and consumer groups. The report debunks the myth that New York is seeing a loss in the number of its doctors. The report found that the number of active doctors in New York State rose by over 10% from 2004 to 2012, far in excess of the growth in the state’s population during the same period (1.8%). New York ranks second in the nation in its number of doctors practicing in the state per 100,000 population.
The report – “The Doctor Is In: New York’s Increasing Number of Practicing Physicians” – is based on federal, state and private sector data. The report was authored by NYPIRG, the Center for Medical Consumers, and New Yorkers for Patient & Family Empowerment. In addition, endorsers of the report included Center for Justice & Democracy, Commission on the Public's Health System, Empire State Consumer Project, Peggy Lillis Foundation, and PULSE Of New York.
Other highlights of the report include:
- New York is among the top five states for the number of physicians per capita practicing in the so-called “high-risk” specialties of OB/GYN and general surgery. New York has the fifth highest number of practicing OB/GYNs (fourth overall), the fourth highest number of general surgeons, and the fourth highest per capita number of internal medicine specialists.
- New York counties in which medical malpractice premiums (generally downstate) are highest are the counties that have the largest number of doctors. And the same counties also have seen the biggest increase in doctors. Nineteen of 62 counties have seen decreases in the number of doctors between 2004 and 2012, and those counties generally are the ones in which premiums are among the lowest.
The groups called for policymakers to:
- Examine the status of public access to health care providers in New York State, focusing on those areas that have demonstrated shortages. Policymakers should review the successes and failures of past and current federal and state programs intended to remedy doctor shortages in rural and other underserved areas to better understand what has worked and what has not. In addition, policymakers should examine whether other licensed health care professionals could fill the gaps in these areas (e.g. increased availability of supervised nurse practitioners or physician assistants). Moreover, the state should also review the current status and use of telemedicine in underserved areas, especially to enhance access to specialty services.
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Read the full report | www.nypirg.org
