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PA Legislature Considering Other Legislation Now That The Budget Has Passed

Governor Rendell's proposed health care reforms are alive and well in Pennsylvania. Legislation favorable to CRNA practice have been reintroduced by Senators and Representatives who understand the role CRNA's have in the medical community. Throughout the next two years, you will hear many arguments and position statements from all specialties of medicine, especially the anesthesiologists. What is important to remember is that HB 1866 which defines our scope of practice is not about a turf battle, nor is it about broadening our scope of practice. The House and Senate bills will do nothing more than provide entitlement; title protection, so that we as a profession can advance to meet the demands of our border states. The Advanced Nursing Practice Certification is already required in our surrounding states and throughout the nation and will soon be expected in Pennsylvania. Nurse Midwives and Nurse Practitioners are recognized in Pennsylvania as APNs but we, the oldest advanced nursing practice, are not. We as an association must move forward to ensure our specialty by protecting and securing the right to practice. There have been attempts by the Pennsylvania Medical Society and the Pennsylvania Society of Anesthesiologists to restrict us by controlling our ability to practice. PANA has been successful in protecting your scope of practice, but it becomes harder and harder each time it is attacked. The ability to protect your scope of practice is a lot easier when it is a regulation as 21:17 is, versus a law, which is what we currently seek. In order for your board to secure your right to practice we must never stop until we achieve title protection and we can not even begin to acquire an APN certification without it. Please contact your Representative and ask the to support House Bill 1866!


Legislation of Interest
  • H.B. 1866  Amending the act of May 22, 1951 (P.L.317, No.69), entitled, as amended, "An act relating to the practice of professional nursing; providing for the licensing of nurses and for the revocation and suspension of such licenses, subject to appeal, and for their reinstatement; providing for the renewal of such licenses; regulating nursing in general; prescribing penalties and repealing certain laws," providing for certified registered nurse anesthetists.
       Last Action: Referred to the House Professional Licensure Committee
  • H.B. 1 HB 1 - (PLS Summary) (PN 2098) The Expanded Adult Basic Coverage Insurance Program Act establishes the Expanded Adult Basic Coverage Insurance Program, which is contingent on federal participation. If the Federal Government enacts programs similar to the program, the program shall be construed to only supplement the Federal programs; and adults qualified for coverage under the Federal program shall utilize that Federal program before utilizing the program. Appropriations to the Insurance Department for the program shall be used for contracts to provide basic health care insurance for eligible adults and administration of outreach activities. The department shall ensure that all eligible adults have access to the program. Participants would pay a monthly premium of up to $50, depending on income. Rates for the program shall be approved annually by the department and may vary by region and contractor. This would not be an entitlement program. The bill provides for the duties of the Insurance Department, for the requests for proposals, and for the duties of contractors. All entities providing health insurance or health care coverage in PA would be required to provide, at least monthly, certain information for persons for whom the entities provide insurance or coverage. The department would use this information to determine whether another entity has primary liability for health care claims paid by the program. If a determination is made that the enrollee or wait-list enrollee has other health care coverage, the eligibility of the enrollee or wait-list enrollee shall be reevaluated, as shall the most cost-effective means of providing coverage for that enrollee or wait-list enrollee. The Pennsylvania Expanded Adult Basic Coverage Insurance Program Fund is established in the State Treasury; $362,000,000 shall be transferred from the Health Care Provider Retention Account to the PA Expanded Adult Basic Coverage Insurance Program Fund, and funds appropriated under section 306(b)(1)(vi) of the Tobacco Settlement Act shall be deposited into the PA Expanded Adult Basic Coverage Insurance Program Fund. Additionally, every hospital plan corporation and professional health service plan corporation operating in PA shall pay the tax on gross premiums payable under Article IX of the Tax Reform Code. The sums received as a result of this tax shall be deposited into the PA Expanded Adult Basic Coverage Insurance Program Fund. This subsection shall not be effective if the Agreement on Community Health Reinvestment entered into February 2, 2005, by the department and Capital BlueCross, Highmark, Inc., Hospital Service Association of Northeastern PA and Independence Blue Cross and published in the Pennsylvania Bulletin is extended or otherwise renegotiated to continue, at least, at the level of Annual Community Health Reinvestment contributed under that agreement. In that event, the sums received by the Commonwealth shall be deposited into the Pennsylvania Expanded Adult Basic Coverage Insurance Program Fund. The legislation also provides for physician retention loan forgiveness in the amount of 10% each year over ten years; establishes the Physician Retention Loan Forgiveness Program in the Pennsylvania Higher Education Assistance Agency; provides for powers and duties of PHEAA and requires health care coverage for telehealth; establishes the hospital electronic information incentive payment program to provide financial assistance to certain acute care hospitals and critical access hospitals for the implementation of electronic health record systems; and establishes the Dentists for Medical Assistance Patients Program in the Department of Public Welfare to help meet the inadequacies of improve care to those on MA to bring dentists into communities where there is a need and to provide an incentive to students to pursue training in dentistry; makes appropriations; and makes related repeals.
  • H.B. 212 Amending the act of May 22, 1951 (P.L.317, No.69), entitled, as amended, "An act relating to the practice of professional nursing; providing for the licensing of nurses and for the revocation and suspension of such licenses, subject to appeal, and for their reinstatement; providing for the renewal of such licenses; regulating nursing in general; prescribing penalties and repealing certain laws," further providing for definitions; and providing for certified registered nurse anesthetist qualifications.
       Last Action: 02-02-09 Introduced and referred to committee on House Professional Licensure
  • S.B. 786 This is the Senates legislation once again presented by long time friend Senator Mary Jo White(R-Vanango): An Act amending the act of May 22, 1951 (P.L.317, No.69), known as The Professional Nursing Law, further providing for definitions; and providing for certified registered nurse anesthetist qualifications.
       Last Action: 4-17-09 Introduced and referred to committee on Senate Consumer Protection & Prof. Licensure
  • S.B. 464 Act providing for use of volunteer time by health care professionals in meeting continuing education requirements.
       Last Action: 7/9/09 - House Professional Licensure SB 464 - (PLS Summary)
    (PN 864) The Volunteer Continuing Medical Education Act provides that beginning with the licensure period commencing after the effective date of the act and following written notice by the appropriate licensure board, health care professionals shall be permitted to apply volunteer time served in a community-based health care clinic toward completion of no more than 20% of the mandatory continuing education required by the appropriate licensure board. Further provides acceptable documentation of volunteer hours shall be done in accordance with policies established by each board.
  • HB 926 - (PLS Summary)
    (PN 1279) Amends the Workforce Development Act further providing for membership of the PA Workforce Investment Board, and establishing the PA Center for Health Careers for the purpose of providing a focused direction and purpose for the development of strategies to address the Commonwealth's short-term and long-term health care work force challenges to ensure the quality and supply of such work force. The bill also provides for the composition and duties of a related Leadership Council.
  • HB 1641 - (PLS Summary)
    (PN 2046) The Circulating Nurse Act requires a circulating nurse in certain operating rooms and requires a registered nurse to be the circulating nurse in the operating room. The act provides definitions of anesthesia, deep sedation/analgesia, health care facility, operating room of the facility, and registered nurse.    Last Action: 6-25-09 Introduced and referred to committee on House Rules committee