New York Assembly Resolution 2155
2002 Legislative Session

WHEREAS, Considerable scientific controversy surrounds the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease and other tick-borne illnesses; and

WHEREAS, New York State has the highest number of reportable Lyme disease cases in the United States; and

WHEREAS, Insurance companies can and do file complaints with the New York State office of Professional medical Conduct against doctors who treat chronic Lyme disease, and have thus injected themselves into the debate; and

WHEREAS, Doctors whose practices are devoted to treating chronic Lyme disease patients, and who continue to provide treatment if they feel such treatment is medically necessary, have noted significant improvement in the condition of their patients; and

WHEREAS, a high percentage of doctors who treat chronic Lyme disease patients, and who continue to treat patients if they feel such treatment is medically necessary, have been investigated by the OPMC pertaining to their treatment of Lyme disease; and

WHEREAS, Tests for Lyme Disease are highly inaccurate and often are negative even when a person has Lyme disease; and

WHEREAS, The federal Center for Disease Control has not developed treatment guidelines for Lyme disease; and

WHEREAS, Patients in whom the disease is not caught early and who are not treated adequately can progress to chronic disease with infection of the central nervous system; and

WHEREAS, Hundreds of Lyme disease patients have contacted legislators, expressing their concern that the intrusion of the Office of Professional Medical Conduct into their personal physician's treatment protocol is having a chilling effect on their doctor's ability to provide successful treatment for them; now therefor, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to request that insurance companies and the Office of Professional Medical Conduct cease and desist from targeting physicians who fall on one side or the other of this controversy, until such time as medical research and the medical community have determined the appropriate parameters for the diagnosis and treatment of tick-borne illnesses; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of the Resolution, suitably engrossed, be transmitted to the Office of Professional Medical Conduct.

PASSED UNANIMOUS FLOOR VOTE BY THE ASSEMBLY ON APRIL 22, 2002