New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo's proposal to save $1.2 million by defunding the state's NYDoctorProfile.com website is coming under fire from a coalition of 16 patient- and consumer-advocacy groups who call the plan “a dangerous step backwards in the effort for greater transparency in healthcare.”
The website was created by the New York Patient Health Information and Quality Improvement Act of 2000 and launched the next year. It contains data about doctors' medical education, malpractice-litigation history, any involuntary loss or restriction of hospital privileges and translation services available at physicians' office.
New York State Health Department spokeswoman Monica Mahaffey said the information is already available elsewhere, but advocacy groups say the website offers all the information in one place.
