It’s back to business in Albany—but will it last?

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A coalition of providers, insurers, consumer groups and employers known as the New York Quality Alliance received a special distinction today as one of 14 “Chartered Value Exchanges” around the country for its work to improve health-care quality. Tevi Troy, deputy secretary of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, was in Albany to recognize the designation and speak on the importance of technology in providing more information to patients about the quality and cost of health care, and in making the system safer and more efficient.

The agency hopes to have more than 50 charters by 2010, and the goal is for them to communicate with one another and provide information about care across the country, Troy said.

“You guys are planting the flags, the first 14 flags,” he said.

The New York Quality Alliance— a collaborative funded by the state Department of Health to measure and drive quality hospital and physician care— will work with state and national experts to develop physician report cards on performance. The Chartered Value Exchange designation allows the coalition to access information from Medicare that measures the quality of care physicians give to patients.

“I know that a lot of people are focused on hospital performance … but we haven’t spent a lot of time focusing on the physicians’ performance,” said Paul Macielak, president of the New York Health Plan Association, which represents 30 health-care plans across the state and is a member of the New York Quality Alliance.

  Gov. David Paterson is slated to meet publicly with legislative leaders at 4 p.m. – a sign that progress is being made on talks aimed at reaching an agreement on a new state budget.

The Senate, meanwhile, plans to be at the Capitol through the weekend to try to get a budget done before the deadline of midnight Monday.

Dr. Jon R. Cohen, who sought the lieutenant governor nomination only to back out when it was headed to David Paterson, was tapped by Paterson today to serve as his senior advisor.

Cohen is currently managing director of PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP for Health Industries Advisory Services in Manhattan.

“Dr. Cohen’s extensive background in the medical field makes him an excellent choice for this important role,” Paterson said in a statement. “He thoroughly understands the state’s hospital network, its specific challenges and the investments that must be made to support the future of quality health care. He will be an invaluable advisor for my administration and I am looking forward to working closely with him.”

Cohen has spent more than two decades in the health care field, according to the governor’s press release. He served for six years as chief medical officer (CMO) of the North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System.

Paterson’s aides were quick to point out that Cohen will not be replacing Health Commissioner Richard Daines or health-care advisor Dennis Whalen.

Cohen will receive a salary of $160,500.

   Senate Majority Leader Joseph Bruno, R-Brunswick, Rensselaer County, just announced that the Senate plans to work through the weekend to meet the fast-approaching April 1 budget deadline. The GOP-controlled Senate and the Democrat-led Assembly are far away from an agreement on the 2008-09 spending plan.

   “We have had very positive and productive discussions on the budget following the passage of the Senate and Assembly budgets,” Bruno said in a statement.  “We believe that we can reach an agreement on a new budget that meets the needs of the people of New York State, that reduces spending below the Executive Budget and avoids any increases in broad based taxes. I’m confident that if we continue to work through the weekend, we can get an agreement in place before April 1.”

A reader sent over an online petition circulating against former Gov. Eliot Spitzer’s nominee for the state Thruway Authority, White Plains Attorney Brandon Sall.

Sall was considered a strange pick for Spitzer earlier this month because he’s a downstate attorney as the Thruway Authority faces criticism for plans to increase tolls on the Thruway, mainly an upstate issue.

Spitzer, before he resigned, argued he didn’t have any control to stop the toll hikes because the board was made up of former Gov. Pataki appointees.

Yet instead of picking an upstate person to replace Nancy Carey Cassidy, daughter of former Gov. Hugh Carey, he went with Sall, a Democratic campaign contributor.

The petition calls on the state Senate to deny Sall’s appointment. It’s unclear when the Senate will take up the appointment amid all the budget negotiations.

“It is our hope that current Gov Paterson should appoint an individual of esteem, intellect and appropriate experience be appointed to the existing vacancy on the New York State Thruway Authority Board,” the petition reads.

I left a message at Sall’s office for comment, but haven’t heard back yet. He works at DelBello Donnellan Weingarten Wise & Wiederkehr LLP, based in White Plains.

Updated: Sall called back and declined comment, saying he needed to wait until his Senate confirmation before talking about appointment.

There are more and more reports that Republicans could lose one or both open congressional seats in western New York. The problem is that even though Republicans hold enrollment edges in both the 25th and 26th districts, Republicans are struggling to find strong candidates.

A recent Evans-Novak report put both seats as “leaning Democratic takeover.”

Even Republican Rep. Thomas Reynolds, who announced he is retiring from the 26th District at year’s end, bemoaned the fact he would likely be in the minority if he ran again.

Also, potential GOP candidates are being scared off by the likelihood that in 2010, Democrats would control the state Legislature and redraw congressional districts that take away at least one upstate seat—likely combining the 26th District, which runs from Greece in Monroe County to the Buffalo suburbs, and the 29th District, which runs from Monroe County through the Southern Tier.

In the 25th District, Republicans best hope, former state fair director Peter Cappuccilli, just backed out because of health issues after Republican Rep. James Walsh announced he’s retiring at year’s end. The district covers Syracuse to Webster in Monroe County.

The Evans-Novak report says that “there are murmurs that the National Republican Congressional Committee is giving up on this district to focus on stopping losses elsewhere.”

That’s a likely possibility, considering Walsh, even with this 20 years in Congress, barely won re-election in 2006 against Democratic upstart Dan Maffei, who is running again this year.

In the 26th District, with Reynolds gone, Republicans had hoped that Sen. George Maziarz would run, but he’s sticking with the Senate and second choice Assemblyman Jim Hayes is also out.

That may open the door for Greece Supervisor Jack Auberger to run for the seat, some Republicans said.

So it’s becoming pretty ironic that Rep. Randy Kuhl, R-Hammondsport, Steuben County, (R) could be the next New York Republican to fall. Kuhl was viewed as the weakest of the three GOP incumbents in western New York and barely beat Democrat Eric Massa in 2006, whom Kuhl will face again this year.

Evans-Novak, though has that race “Leaning Republican Retention.”

  This doesn’t seem like a good year for lawmakers to raise their pay, with the state economy in the tank and the prospect of higher taxes staring New Yorkers in the face.

On the other hand, state legislators (as well as judges and state-agency commissioners) haven’t gotten an increase since 1999. Their base pay is $79,500 a year.  Most get extra payments that bring the average up over $90,000. But many lawmakers, especially from New York City, are clamoring for a hike.

What to do? Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver suggested a possible way out in a radio interview today.

Lawmakers can’t technically raise their own pay – just for future lawmakers. So an election has to come between the vote for a pay hike and it taking effect. Of course, almost  all of lawmakers who run for re-election win, so they in effect raise their own pay.

But getting a raise next January might be viewed as bad form with the current economic conditions.

But Silver dropped a hint in a potential way to do it.

“No law says it (the raise) has to take effect Jan. 1,’’ 2009, he said on Talk-1300 in Albany.

So lawmakers could vote for a pay increase but have it take effect, say, in 2010 instead of next year. That might be a way out for Silver to satisfy the clamoring of his members for a raise without making them look greedy.

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama gave an address this morning at Cooper Union today and talked about providing relief to homeowners hit by the housing crisis and an additional $30 billion stimulus package to help the economy.

He was introduced, interestingly, by New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. The Daily Politics says Bloomberg said nice things about Obama, but didn’t endorse him.

Here’s some of Obama’s speech:

“Under Republican and Democratic Administrations, we failed to guard against practices that all too often rewarded financial manipulation instead of productivity and sound business practices,” Senator Obama said. “We let the special interests put their thumbs on the economic scales. The result has been a distorted market that creates bubbles instead of steady, sustainable growth; a market that favors Wall Street over Main Street, but ends up hurting both.”

Update: Response from Clinton campaign policy director Neera Tanden:

Presidents have to do more than announce principles. They have to solve problems. At a time of crisis in our financial markets, Senator Obama announced a series of broad, vague principles, while offering no new concrete solutions to provide Americans with greater confidence in the market or keep them in their homes. The contrast could not be clearer – on Monday, Senator Clinton announced a detailed, specific plan to address the housing and credit crisis. On Tuesday, Senator McCain announced that he had no plan. And today, Senator Obama offered just words.”

Updated x2: Response from state GOP Chairman Joseph Mondello:

“It is a sad irony that Senator Obama would come to New York to talk about his economic plan, because New Yorkers have seen firsthand the devastating consequences of the kind of runaway spending and endless tax increases that Senator Obama has supported throughout his career.

New Yorkers have seen jobs, families and opportunity pack up and leave New York for more hospitable areas when Democrats have implemented the kind of big government policies that are the very core of Senator Obama’s campaign rhetoric.

American families and businesses do not need more spending and obtrusive government; we need more opportunity and hope for a better future.

Senator John McCain’s approach of limiting government interference, containing government spending and allowing hard working families and businesses to keep more of their own money is the right way to ensure a vibrant, hopeful economy and opportunity for New Yorkers and all Americans.”