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House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda
House of Representatives
Session of 2013 - 2014
Regular Session
MEMORANDUM
| Posted: | June 5, 2013 09:29 AM |
|---|---|
| From: | Representative Jim Christiana |
| To: | All House members |
| Subject: | Administration of Anesthesia |
| Dear Colleagues: In the near future I will introduce legislation that will put the Department of Health regulation requiring physician supervision of the administration of anesthesia into statute. This regulation has been guaranteeing patient safety in the operating rooms of Pennsylvania’s hospitals for over 30 years and it is now time to codify it. Pennsylvania has an outstanding record of patient safety concerning the administration of anesthesia. In just the last 20 years, the mortality rate of anesthesia related deaths has gone from 1 in 25,000 to 1 in 300,000! We need to ensure that this record of excellence continues. Again, my legislation will not, in any way, change current law. The Department of Health has jurisdiction under the Healthcare Facilities Act to regulate all activities of healthcare providers in a hospital setting. The DOH regulations currently require that a physician supervise the administration of anesthesia. My legislation will ensure that this continues. |
Introduced as HB1603