Legislation Quick Search
03/29/2024 04:41 AM
Pennsylvania State Senate
https://www.legis.state.pa.us/cfdocs/Legis/CSM/showMemoPublic.cfm?chamber=S&SPick=20130&cosponId=12035
Share:
Home / Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Senate Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

Subscribe to PaLegis Notifications
NEW!

Subscribe to receive notifications of new Co-Sponsorship Memos circulated

By Member | By Date | Keyword Search


Senate of Pennsylvania
Session of 2013 - 2014 Regular Session

MEMORANDUM

Posted: March 7, 2013 12:40 PM
From: Senator Patricia H. Vance
To: All Senate members
Subject: Memo #12 - Insurance Reimbursement for Registered Nurse First Assistants (RNFA)
 
In the near future, I plan to reintroduce SB 734 from last session that amends the Insurance Payment to Registered Nurse Law to include certified Registered Nurse First Assistants (RNFAs).

A Certified Registered Nurse First Assistant is a registered nurse who assumes the responsibility for providing technical assistance under the direct supervision and direction of the operating surgeon. They perform a number of functions relating to a patient’s care from the time of surgery to discharge.

This legislation will authorize an Insurance Company to directly reimburse an RNFA who assists a surgeon during surgery. This legislation is needed in response to the changing dynamics of staffing surgery procedures in hospitals. Current practice dictates that a surgical assistant be present during all surgical procedures. The surgical assistant could be a second doctor, a resident or a specially-trained peri-operative nurse.

In the past, a resident frequently provided this service. However, fewer residents are used because of changes in federal funding for residency programs and efforts to limit the hours a resident is on duty. As a result, there has been increased reliance on the use of an RNFA, who has received additional education and training in peri-operative procedures. Because of their specialized training, RNFAs are able to provide cost-effective care without compromising patient safety or quality of care. Today, a surgeon might contract directly with an independent RNFA to assist him or her in the operating room. This bill would allow the RNFA to directly bill the insurance company, provided this is a covered procedure, rather than billing the provider, who in turn bills the insurance company.

The bill includes language to make sure there is no duplication of services and insurance companies are not billed twice for the same procedure. Previous co-sponsors were BROWNE , EARLL , GREENLEAF , RAFFERTY , PILEGGI , BOSCOLA , FONTANA , WAUGH , COSTA , YUDICHAK , WASHINGTON and FERLO.



Introduced as SB846