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ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) — New York law has been changed to prohibit state investigations of doctors for unconventional treatments of diseases, specifically including Lyme disease.
Gov. Andrew Cuomo signed the measure this week, saying it was conditioned on legislators agreeing to additional legislation to ensure the Office of Professional Medical Conduct can investigate certain complaints that put patients at risk.
The law applies to treatments "not universally accepted by the medical profession."
Assembly member Didi Barrett, a Hudson Valley Democrat, says it's intended to improve care of people with chronic suffering from Lyme and other tick-borne illnesses by allowing physicians to prescribe long-term antibiotics without fear of being censured.
Sen. Kemp Hannon, another sponsor, notes a federal estimate of 300,000 cases of Lyme disease each year, most in the Northeast.
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