PRINTER'S NO. 2734
No. 1962 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY R. TAYLOR, NICKOL, HARKINS, LENTZ, MACKERETH,
MANDERINO, PASHINSKI, REICHLEY, YOUNGBLOOD AND LONGIETTI,
OCTOBER 24, 2007
REFERRED TO COMMITTEE ON PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE,
OCTOBER 24, 2007
AN ACT
1 Amending Title 40 (Insurance) of the Pennsylvania Consolidated
2 Statutes, providing for marriage and family therapy services
3 and for professional counseling services.
4 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
5 hereby enacts as follows:
6 Section 1. The definitions of "health service doctor" and
7 "professional health services" in section 6302(a) of Title 40 of
8 the Pennsylvania Consolidated Statutes are amended and the
9 subsection is amended by adding definitions to read:
10 § 6302. Definitions.
11 (a) General rule.--The following words and phrases when used
12 in this chapter shall have, unless the context clearly indicates
13 otherwise, the meanings given to them in this section:
14 * * *
15 "Health service doctor." A doctor of dental surgery, doctor
16 of medicine, doctor of optometry, doctor of osteopathy, doctor
17 of podiatry, doctor of chiropractic, licensed physical
1 therapist, licensed marriage and family therapist, licensed
2 professional counselor, certified registered nurse anesthetist,
3 certified registered nurse practitioner, certified enterostomal
4 therapy nurse, certified community health nurse, certified
5 psychiatric mental health nurse, certified clinical nurse
6 specialist, licensed psychologist, licensed speech-language
7 pathologist, licensed audiologist or licensed teacher of persons
8 who are hearing impaired.
9 * * *
10 "Marriage and family therapy services." The general and
11 usual services rendered and care administered by licensed
12 marriage and family therapists, as defined as the "practice of
13 marriage and family therapy" in the act of July 9, 1987
14 (P.L.220, No.39), known as the Social Workers, Marriage and
15 Family Therapists and Professional Counselors Act.
16 * * *
17 "Professional counseling services." The general and usual
18 services rendered and care administered by licensed professional
19 counselors, as defined as the "practice of professional
20 counseling" in the act of July 9, 1987 (P.L.220, No.39), known
21 as the Social Workers, Marriage and Family Therapists and
22 Professional Counselors Act.
23 "Professional health services." Dental services, medical
24 services, optometric services, osteopathic services, podiatry
25 services, chiropractic services, physical therapy services,
26 marriage and family therapy services, professional counseling
27 services, psychological services, speech-language pathology
28 services, audiology services, services of teachers of persons
29 who are hearing impaired, certified registered nurse services
30 provided by a certified registered nurse at any time except when
20070H1962B2734 - 2 -
1 the certified registered nurse is acting as an employee of a
2 health care facility or of an anesthesiology group or any one or
3 more of them, provided any of the above-listed services are
4 medically necessary.
5 * * *
6 Section 2. Section 6322(f) of Title 40 is amended to read:
7 § 6322. Scope of service.
8 * * *
9 (f) Legislative amendment of stated purposes of existing
10 corporations.--The stated purposes of all existing general
11 medical service corporations are hereby amended so as to include
12 the furnishing of osteopathic, dental, optometric, podiatry,
13 chiropractic, physical therapy, marriage and family therapy,
14 professional counseling, psychological, speech-language
15 pathology and audiology services and the services of teachers of
16 persons who are hearing impaired through doctors of osteopathy,
17 dentistry, optometry, podiatry and chiropractic and through
18 licensed physical therapists, licensed marriage and family
19 therapists, licensed professional counselors, psychologists,
20 speech-language pathologists, audiologists and teachers of
21 persons who are hearing impaired, respectively.
22 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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