Dr. Howard J. Finger Inducted as 2026 Fellow by the Foundation for Post-Acute Care and Long-Term Care Medicine
Howard J. Finger, DO, FPALTC is among 60 PALTmed Fellows selected across the nation
Mar 31, 2026
New York, NY — NYC Health + Hospitals today announced that Howard J. Finger, DO, FPALTC has been inducted into the 60-person inaugural Fellows Class of the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed). Dr. Finger was recognized for his exceptional dedication and sustained contributions to both PALTmed and post-acute and long-term care medicine. FPALTC is a prestigious, peer-reviewed credential that publicly acknowledges an individual’s ongoing dedication to the field of post-acute and long-term care medicine. PALTmed is the only national organization providing high-quality resources and education to interdisciplinary teams working in post-acute and long-term care settings, including medical directors, attending physicians, nurse practitioners, physician associates, consultant pharmacists, and clinicians with a doctoral degree. PALTmed leads the way in empowering compassionate and skilled clinicians to deliver person-centered care in the post-acute and long-term care continuum.
“It is, indeed, a great honor to be included among the 2026 inaugural class of PALTmed Fellows, who have all demonstrated outstanding leadership, commitment, and contributions to the post-acute and long-term care community,” said NYC Health + Hospitals/Post-Acute Care Attending Physician and Clinical Ethics Consultant Howard J. Finger, DO, FPALTC. “As a speaker and presenter at PALTmed’s annual conferences, I have highlighted the marvelous work performed by my colleagues in conjunction with interdisciplinary teams at Coler, Carter, and across the Post-Acute Care service line, in keeping with the PALTmed mission and that of NYC Health + Hospitals, to empower compassionate and skilled clinicians to deliver person-centered care across the post-acute and long-term care continuum.”
“Dr. Finger is an exceptional thought leader, mentor, and innovator in post-acute care delivery,” said NYC Health + Hospitals Senior Vice President for Post-Acute Care Khoi Luong, DO, MBA. “He continues to inspire future generations of long-term care providers through his work in our health system and the Foundation of Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine. We are incredibly proud of his well-deserved induction into the 2026 PALTmed Fellows.”
To qualify for the Fellowship Program, PALTmed members with a minimum of four consecutive years must meet the following criteria:
- A minimum of seven years of clinical practice in post-acute and long-term care medicine (post-training).
- Demonstrate involvement in clinical, administrative, research, and/or teaching activities within the field of post-acute and long-term care.
- Ongoing engagement in PALTmed initiatives and activities.
Dr. Finger has served as a physician at NYC Health + Hospitals for more than 40 years in post-acute and long-term care delivery.He is an attending physician, clinical ethics consultant, and Utilization Management /Quality Assurance physician advisor at NYC Health + Hospitals/Carter and NYC Health + Hospitals/Coler, two award-winning nursing homes in New York City; also serving as medical staff president at Carter.In 2025, Dr. Finger received the Clinician of the Year Award from PALTmed.
Finger and Coler Associate Director of Nursing Deepa Vinoo at the annual PALTmed conference in 2024.
Dr. Finger is a graduate of the Des Moines University Osteopathic School of Medicine. He completed his internal medicine residency training at Winthrop University Hospital in Mineola, NY (now called NYU Langone Hospital-Long Island). He is certified by the American Board of Quality Assurance and Utilization Review Physicians (ABQAURP) in Health Care and Quality Management (HCQM) and is a Fellow of ABQAURP. He currently serves on the Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medical Association (PALTmed) Ethics Subcommittee and is a member of the Empire State Bioethics Consortium (ESBC), having served on its board of directors from 2021 to 2024.
###
MEDIA CONTACT: Rafael Dominguez, rafael.dominguez@nychhc.org, 646-988-3599
#073-26
About NYC Health + Hospitals/Post-Acute Care
NYC Health + Hospitals Post-Acute Care is comprised of five skilled nursing facilities (SNF), a long-term acute care hospital (LTACH) and adult day healthcare program. There is a total of 2,099 inpatient beds in the SNFs and LTACH. Carter, Coler, Gouverneur, McKinney, and Seaview have all consistently earn Four- & Five-Star Ratings awarded by CMS. In addition, Carter, Gouverneur, McKinney and Seaview have been recognized by US News & World Report among the Best Nursing Homes in 2026, rated as ‘high-performing’ in long-term care and/or short-term rehabilitation; Newsweek ranks Carter, Coler, Gouverneur, and Sea View in the Top 10 of Best Nursing Homes 2026 in New York State; McKinney ranked in the Top 20. For more information, visit https://www.nychealthandhospitals.org/postacutecare.
About NYC Health + Hospitals
NYC Health + Hospitals is the largest public health care system in the nation, serving more than a million New Yorkers annually in more than 70 patient care locations across the city’s five boroughs. A robust network of outpatient, neighborhood-based primary and specialty care centers anchors care coordination with the system’s trauma centers, nursing homes, post-acute care centers, home care agency, and MetroPlusHealth health plan—all supported by 11 essential hospitals. Its diverse workforce of more than 46,000 employees is uniquely focused on empowering New Yorkers, without exception, to live the healthiest life possible. For more information, visit www.nychealthandhospitals.org and stay connected on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
About the Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine
The Foundation for Post-Acute and Long-Term Care Medicine is an independent not-for-profit national organization that philanthropically supports the advancement of education, clinical resources, workforce, and research. The Foundation advances the quality of life for persons in post-acute and long-term care (PALTC) through inspiring, educating and recognizing future and current health care professionals. Visit the Foundation for PALTC Medicine at www.paltcfoundation.org or go to paltmed.org/fellow for more information on the PALTmed Fellowship Program.
