[NRSKarenRN]

CRNA Legislation Up For Committee Review Oct. 23 -- Immediate Action Needed!
http://www.legis.state.pa.us/wu01/li...1/0/hb0823.htm

House Bill 823 will be reviewed by the Senate Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee on October 23, 2001. HB 823, which was introduced by Representative Civera was passed by the House of Representatives on June 6, 2001. This bill will go before the full Senate for a vote if it is passed by the Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee.*

The overall intent of this bill is to amend the Medical Practice Act and require that certified registered nurse anesthetists in the state of Pennsylvania be supervised by a physician who is physically present in the health care facility when the
anesthesia is administered. The term "supervision" in the definition of the bill means medical direction by the qualified physician, and provides for the State Board of Medicine to promulgate regulations which define medical practice. PSNA Strongly opposes this bill.*

Immediate Action Needed
Contact members of the Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee to express your opposition to House Bill 823.*Call, email, fax, or write these Senators today!

Consumer Protection & Professional Licensure Committee Members

The Honorable Clarence D. Bell, Chair
Senate of Pennsylvania
20 East Wing
Senate Box 203009
Harrisburg, PA 12020
Phone: 717-787-4712
Fax: 717-783-7490
cbell@pasen.gov
or
280 N. Providence Road
Media, PA 19063-3525
Phone: 610-565-9100
Fax: 610-447-3034

The Honorable Lisa M. Boscola
Senate of Pennsylvania
183 Main Capitol Building
Senate Box 203018
Harrisburg, PA 12020
Phone: 717-787-4236
Fax: 717-783-1257
boscola@dem.pasen.gov
or
548 North New Street
Bethlehem, PA 18018
Phone: 610-868-8667
Fax: 610-861-2184

The Honorable Gerald J. LaValle
Senate of Pennsylvania
458 Main Capitol Building
Senate Box 203047
Harrisburg, PA 12020
Phone: 717-787-3076
Fax: 717-772-2756
lavalle@dem.pasen.gov
or
239 Brighton Avenue
Rochester, PA 15074
Phone: 724-774-0444
Fax: 724-773-7384

The Honorable Charles W. Dent
Senate of Pennsylvania
460 Capitol Building
Senate Box 203016
Harrisburg, PA 12020
Phone: 717-787-1349
Fax: 717-772-3458
cdent@pasen.gov
or
801 Hamilton Street
Allentown, PA 18101
Phone: 610-821-8468
Fax: 610-821-6798

The Honorable Jeffery E. Piccola
Senate of Pennsylvania
171 Main Capitol
Senate Box 203015
Harrisburg, PA 12020
Phone: 717-787-6801
Fax: 717-783-3722
jpiccola@pasen.gov
or
27 South Market Street
Elizabethville, PA 17023
Phone: 717-362-9051
Fax: 717-783-0239

The Honorable Stewart Greenleaf
Senate of Pennsylvania
19 East Wing
Senate Box 203012
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-6599
Fax: 717-783-7328
sgreele@pasen.gov
or
27 N. York Road
Willow Grove, PA 19090-3419
Phone: 215-657-7700
Fax: 215-560-6052

The Honorable Mary Jo White
Senate of Pennsylvania
168 Main Capitol Building
Senate Box 203021
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-9684
Fax: 717-787-6088
mwhite@pasen.gov
or
1256 Liberty Street, Suite B
PO Box 774
Franklin, PA 16323
Phone: 814-432-4345
Fax: 814-437-4820

The Honorable Vincent J. Fumo
Senate of Pennsylvania
545 Main Capitol Building
Senate Box 203001
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-5662
Fax: 717-783-5210
fumo@dem.pasen.gov
or
1208 Tasker Street
Philadelphia, PA 19148
Phone: 215-468-3866
Fax: 215-952-1096

The Honorable Allen G. Kukovich
Senate of Pennsylvania
185 Capitol Building
Senate Box 203039
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-6063
Fax: 717-772-0580
kukovich@dem.pasen.gov
or
10526 Old Trail Road
Hauger Professional Building
North Huntingdon, PA 15642
Phone: 724-863-0605
Fax: 412-664-5240

The Honorable Robert M. Tomlinson
Senate of Pennsylvania
188 Main Capitol Building
Senate Box 203050
Harrisburg, PA 17120
Phone: 717-787-5072
Fax: 717-772-2991
rtomlinson@pasen.gov
or
2307 Bristol Pike, Suite 3
Bensalem, PA 19020
Phone: 215-638-1777
Fax: 215-638-7619

PSNA Opposes HB 823

This bill is unacceptable for many reasons and must be strongly opposed. CRNAs have been providing quality anesthesia in cooperation with a physician in Pennsylvania for many years. They are competent to administer anesthesia without direct medical supervision. This proposed bill would contradict the recent HCFA ruling that CRNAs would not be required to have direct supervision.

This bill, if enacted, would negatively impact small, rural and underserved areas. The bill would also put responsibility for promulgating regulations defining medical practice under the State Board of Medicine. After struggling 20 plus years to have the
joint boards (Nursing and Medicine) promulgate regs enabling CRNPs to prescribe, there is reason to believe this scenario could be repeated.

PSNA believes that CRNAs are competent to administer anesthesia without supervision and this bill is a solution in search of a problem. PSNA strongly opposes another group of advanced practice nurses being jointly regulated by the Board of Nursing and the Board of Medicine.


CRNA's in PA have been administering anesthesia in collaboration with physicians for 80 years without always having their collaborator in house....they know when surgery requires the presence of an anesthesiologist in house/OR suite.
Don't allow another function of advanced nurses to be restricted...remember, nurses were the one originally administering ether BEFORE physician specialists were created!
Karen