NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2017 - 33

S U M M E R / F A L L 2 017

LCMS Members

ADVOCACY PRIORITIES

PAMED's Board of Trustees identified these priority advocacy topics
Insurer Credentialing for Physicians
PAMED Position: PAMED strongly opposes Senate Bill 25, which allows

CRNPs to practice independently and eliminates the requirement
that they collaborate with physicians. PAMED supports physician-led,
team-based care that emphasizes increased coordination over
provider autonomy.
Take Action: Participate in Call to Action at https://www.votervoice.
net/PAMED/Campaigns/38995/Respond .

PA HOUSE BILL 125: An Act providing for the use of certain credentialing applications, for credentialing requirements for health
insurers and for protections
for enrollees of health insurers;
imposing penalties; and conferring powers and imposing duties
on the Insurance Department
and Department of Health.
Prime Sponsor: Representative Matthew Baker
Current Status: HB 125 was referred to the House Health Committee
on Jan. 23, 2017.
PAMED Position: PAMED supports House Bill 125. A quicker, more
streamlined credentialing process could enable qualified physicians
to see patients sooner.

Prior Authorization
Current Status: Legislation has yet to be introduced in 2017-18 session.
PAMED Position: PAMED will
support legislation that streamlines prior authorization process
with insurance plans. Current
prior authorization process
with insurance companies lacks
transparency and long wait times
jeopardize patient outcomes.
Take Action: Contact your House member and ask him/her to sign
onto legislation as co-sponsor.

Team-Based Care
PA SENATE BILL 25: An Act amending the act of May 22,1951 (P.L.317,
No.69), known as The Professional Nursing Law, further providing
for definitions, for State Board of Nursing, for dietitian-nutritionist
license required, for temporary practice permit, for graduates of
schools of other states, territories or Dominion of Canada, for
certified registered nurse practitioners, for scope of practice for
certified registered nurse practitioners, for prescriptive authority for
certified registered nurse practitioners, for Drug Review Committee
and for professional liability; and providing for the expiration of the
State Board of Nursing's power to license certified registered nurse
practitioners. Prime Sponsor: Senator Camera Barolotta
Current Status: SB 25 was referred to the Senate Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure Committee on Feb. 15, 2017.

Telemedicine
Current status: Legislation has yet to be introduced in 2017-18.
PAMED Position: If properly regulated, telemedicine has the
potential to improve patient access to care. PAMED will support
legislation that maintains the physician-patient relationship and
enables telemedicine services to be reimbursed the same as faceto-face patient encounters.

PAMED's advocacy priorities page has the latest on issues like telemedicine, POLST, and prior authorization.
Use PAMED's bill tracker to get updates on health care bills in PA. Learn more: www.pamedsoc.org/Advocacy
N E PA

VITAL SIGNS

https://www.votervoice http://www.pamedsoc.org/Advocacy

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEPA Vital Signs - Summer Fall 2017