On May 14, Gov. David A. Paterson introduced a bill that would give the state Department of Health a "crisper statement of authority" to speed up public health investigations and ensure physicians are aware of infection-control practices.
The measure follows the case of Dr. Harvey Finkelstein, a Long Island practitioner whose poor infection-control practices led to the transmission of at least one case of hepatitis C. Finkelstein had been reusing syringes in multidose vials. The case prompted the notification of more than 10,000 patients.
The health department had come under fire in November after it was revealed it had waited three years to notify the public about the Finkelstein case due to legal delays and complicated lab tests.
In addition, Finkelstein had 10 malpractice settlements in a decade, something critics argue should have triggered a probe by the department's Office of Professional Medical Conduct.
The bill proposes that:
*The state inform the public of the charges in any disciplinary proceeding once papers have been served on a physician.
*Every medical student complete infection-control training - including prevention of hepatitis C, not just hepatitis B and HIV - and provide documentation of that training.
*A physician's failure to respond to records requests from state or local health department be considered "professional medical misconduct."
*The state be allowed to release information about any public health threat during an investigation, not after it is completed.
*A study on the viability of restricting the use of multi-use medicine vials be undertaken.
05/15/08
NEW YORK: Taking Doctors to Task
Source: Newsday (Melville):: Ridgely Ochs; Courtesy of the CDC National Center for HIV, STD, and TB Prevention