NEW YORK, NY April 04, 2007 —Two New York hospitals will give more information to patients who undergo a DNA test. WNYC’s Marc Garber reports.

Attorney General Andrew Cuomo announced that New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center have agreed to provide more information to patients thinking about undergoing an analysis called pre-dispositional genetic testing which can reveal the likelihood of developing certain hereditary diseases.

But some patient advocates say people should think twice before undergoing the analysis, which can often be expensive and imprecise and could cause some patients to worry unnecessarily about illnesses they may never develop. State law requires healthcare providers to put patients through a rigorous “informed consent” process before undergoing the tests.

Cuomo’s office says investigators found neither hospital’s procedures fully complied with state law. For WNYC, I’m Marc Garber.