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Griffo and Buttenschon Announce Initiative
to Address Doctor Shortage in New York State

January 17, 2020   05:30 p.m.
    Press Release from Sen. Griffo's Office:

    Griffo and Buttenschon announce initiative to address doctor shortage in
    New York State

    UTICA, NY – New York State Senate Deputy Minority Leader Joseph Griffo, R-I-
    C-Rome, and state Assemblywoman Marianne Buttenschon, D-Marcy, have
    unveiled a major policy initiative that will help to improve access to quality
    medical care in New York State. Deputy Minority Leader Griffo and
    Assemblywoman Buttenschon were joined by Dr. John DeTraglia for a news
    conference announcing the initiative Friday.

    According to a report by the Healthcare Association of New York State, health
    system and medical providers have difficulty recruiting and retaining primary care
    physicians and other specialists, especially in Upstate New York communities.
    Some of the reasons behind this shortage include an aging primary care
    workforce, medical school debt, fewer medical residents choosing primary care
    due to a lower salary, challenging insurance issues, a lack of interest in
    practicing in under-served areas of the state and concerns regarding quality of
    life.

    To address New York’s physician shortage, Deputy Minority Leader Griffo has
    introduced a package of legislation to boost the number of family physicians
    practicing in New York, especially in upstate communities. The bills were
    developed following several meetings between Deputy Minority Leader Griffo
    and doctors and medical professionals, including Dr. Michael Ratner, Dr. John
    DeTraglia, Dr. Sudershan Dang and Dr. Steven Kussin and many other active
    and retired physicians from the region. Assemblywoman Buttenschon will be
    introducing similar bills in the Assembly.

    The initiative spearheaded by Deputy Minority Leader Griffo and
    Assemblywoman Buttenschon would:

  • Improve the Doctors Across New York program, which helps train and place
    physicians in underserved communities, by increasing the benefit for the
    programs that help recruit new physicians, help doctors repay educational
    loans or establish or join practices.

  • Allow students enrolled in a state-supported medical school to participate in
    the Excelsior Scholarship program and for non-resident students residing
    within a certain distance of the border of New York State to have tuition
    rates reduced to two-thirds what they would otherwise be charged as an out-
    of-state student (S5953).

  • Expand START-UP NY options to primary care (S5663) to allow physicians
    looking to establish a primary care office in the field of primary care services
    to access the START-UP NY program. Additionally, expanding the START-
    UP NY program to include primary care services also would increase
    access to primary care physicians in otherwise underserved areas of the
    state.

    The initiative also would direct the Governor to task the state Department of
    Health to develop a designated shortage area for rural health clinics. The federal
    Department of Health and Human Services formulates what constitutes as
    underserved areas, as well as shortage areas. However, some rural areas
    cannot obtain federal benefits due to certain criteria that must be met in order to
    receive those benefits. A state designation opens the door for certain rural areas
    that might otherwise be forced to endure shortages without significant assistance.

    “The Doctors Across New York program has been successful in attracting
    physicians to underserved areas throughout the state,” Deputy Minority Leader
    Griffo said. “However, our state continues to experience doctor shortages in both
    urban and rural communities. It is my hope that, as a result of this initiative that I
    have developed along with Assemblywoman Buttenschon and medical experts,
    we will be able to recruit and retain doctors and improve the quality and
    availability of healthcare for all New Yorkers.”

    “As many upstate families know, it’s difficult to find specialists or primary care
    doctors that are accepting new patients or whose practices are close to them,”
    Assemblywoman Buttenschon said. “While the Doctors Across New York
    program has helped attract medical professionals to the state, we must do more
    to ensure upstate communities – both urban and rural – have access to
    affordable, high-quality health care. I look forward to working with Deputy
    Minority Leader Griffo to find new ways to encourage out-of-state doctors to set
    up practices here and New York doctors to remain in the state.”