Medical Society Voices Concerns about Prescription for Pennsylvania
With the likelihood that key portions of House Bill 700—designed to implement Gov. Ed Rendell’s Prescription for Pennsylvania reform plan—will be diverted into separate pieces of legislation, the Society is meeting with legislators and key stakeholders to voice its opposition to specific sections if not amended or deleted.
Society President Mark A. Piasio, MD, MBA, testified April 11, 2007, to the state House of Representatives Insurance Committee to voice the Society’s concerns about a number of proposals in HB 700, especially expansion of the scope of practice for allied health practitioners without appropriate patient safety safeguards. The Insurance Committee will conclude its series of hearings May 2 and 3, but other committees of jurisdiction are also expected to hold hearings in the next few weeks.
The Society anticipates that other portions of the governor’s plan will be implemented through executive orders.
The Society is opposing the following proposals if they are not amended or deleted:
- Provisions that would remove limits on the number of collaborative agreements that a physician and CRNP may have
- Provisions to expand the use of allied health professionals that would not promote quality and improve patient safety
- A requirement to make ePrescribing a condition of licensure
- Changes to use of the definition of “physician” to expand it to include several allied health practitioners without appropriate patient safety considerations
Last Updated: 8/13/2008