Perfusionists and Medical Boards
Good morning. I am Dr. Mark A. Piasio, president of the Pennsylvania Medical Society and a practicing orthopedic surgeon from DuBois.
Let me begin by thanking Chairman Gannon and the rest of this committee for inviting the Pennsylvania Medical Society to testify. Today, we are here to discuss perfusionists and the medical boards.
Perfusionists, also known as clinical perfusion scientists or extracorporeal technologists, play an important role in surgery suites across the Commonwealth. They are the professionals who run heart-lung machines during open-heart surgeries. In a nutshell, perfusionists keep blood and oxygen flowing through your body when the human heart is temporarily not functioning. Working closely with heart surgeons, they play a vital role in a very complicated procedure.
Unlike the physicians and nurses working beside them during an open heart surgery, Pennsylvania perfusionists are not required to be licensed by the state.
More than a year ago, two bills were introduced in the Pennsylvania House of Representatives to require licensure of perfusionists. The bills are HB 976 and HB 977, both introduced by Representative Santoni. HB 976 refers to the state board of medicine, while HB 977 is written for the state board of osteopathic medicine.
There are similar bills in the Pennsylvania Senate: SB 1105 and SB 1106.
Upfront, I want this committee to know that the Pennsylvania Medical Society does not oppose licensure for those who play such an important role in the operating room. In addition to national certification that about 70 percent of perfusionists have, it’s only fair to patients that the state oversee on these professionals through licensure when they are qualified.
Of course, should perfusionists be licensed, then it is important for regulations to be drafted appropriately and in the best interest of patient care.
As such, the Pennsylvania Medical Society believes that as licensing laws and regulations are developed for perfusionists that they are tied closely to physician oversight. More specifically, the Pennsylvania Medical Society does not oppose perfusionists being licensed by the state medical boards if amendments are made as suggested to those in similar Senate bills. Currently, both medical boards license other professions.
We also do not object to having a perfusionist on the medical boards in the rotating slot for allied health professionals that are licensed by these boards. The perfusionist representative could fit into the rotation for that slot along with a nurse midwife, physician assistant, certified registered nurse practitioner, respiratory care practitioner and certified athletic trainer.
We have already suggested, informally, three amendments to the Senate bills.
First, under the medical boards, regulations for appropriate continuing medical education should be promulgated. CME is an accepted means to ensure that health care services are delivered at the highest level.
Second, licensing fees should be used by the state boards to offset expenses of their work. As such, perfusionist licensure fee should similarly go to the appropriate medical board.
Third, it is essential that both the state board of medicine and the state board of osteopathic medicine know what the other is doing, particularly when dealing with problematic situations such as when a perfusionist license might be suspended, restricted or denied. Coordination between the two boards will be important.
I want to add that based upon conversations I’ve had with perfusionists, I understand that their work may not be clearly defined. For the purpose of quality control, licensure could help define the work they are allowed to do.
Outside of adding perfusionists to the growing responsibilities of the state medical boards, there are other ideas available that the state could consider to ensure the public that the perfusionist working in the local hospital is an approved perfusionist.
One such idea would be to create state regulations that would require only certified perfusionists be used during surgeries. With a national certification body already in place, this might be an easy route for the state to follow. Unfortunately, at this current time, while hospitals often require certification within two years of employment, it’s possible for a non-certified perfusionist to find his or her way into an operating room by avoiding direct hospital employment.
Let me end by saying that the Pennsylvania Medical Society’s goal is to build health care service communities that provide quality care. As such, the Medical Society does not oppose licensure of perfusionists. These professionals play a vital role in very complex heart surgeries and licensing of perfusionists would be a step towards improving healthcare quality and patient safety.
Thank you.
Last Updated: 8/6/2008