CPH serves as a nondisciplinary adjunct to OPMC for the treatment of impaired physicians and has operated under a series of three-year demonstration contracts with the Health Department since 1984. These physicians were subject to similar but separate reporting requirements by both monitoring agencies. OPMC continues to work closely with CPH to evaluate the effectiveness of the single monitoring arrangement. Program Activities Steps continued during 1996 to speed the disciplinary process by streamlining and better defining procedures, involving legal staff earlier in the process and developing tracking databases. Reorganization of the complaint intake unit helped to reduce the time it takes to log, classify and assign incoming cases.
Complainants now receive a faster acknowledgment of the status of their issues.
For the first time in 1996, downstate cases bound for initial board review were assessed by legal staff to make certain they met requirements for successful prosecution. This system will be instituted for upstate cases in 1997. A database of high priority cases was established to improve tracking of significant investigations. Responsibility for the physician portion of the Access to Patient Information Program was transferred to OPMC during 1996. The program assists patients in securing access to their medical records.