| |
| PRIOR PRINTER'S NO. 474 | PRINTER'S NO. 781 |
|
| |
| THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA |
| |
| SENATE BILL |
|
| |
| |
| INTRODUCED BY BROWNE, ERICKSON, BAKER, BOSCOLA, FOLMER, ORIE, BRUBAKER, WAUGH, PIPPY, COSTA, WOZNIAK, VANCE, EARLL, SMUCKER, CORMAN, ALLOWAY, PILEGGI, RAFFERTY, TARTAGLIONE AND WONDERLING, MARCH 2, 2009 |
| |
| |
| SENATOR TOMLINSON, CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, AS AMENDED, MARCH 31, 2009 |
| |
| |
| |
| AN ACT |
| |
1 | Providing for use of volunteer time by health care professionals |
2 | in meeting continuing education requirements. |
3 | The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania |
4 | hereby enacts as follows: |
5 | Section 1. Short title. |
6 | This act shall be known and may be cited as the Volunteer |
7 | Continuing Medical Education Act. |
8 | Section 2. Definitions. |
9 | The following words and phrases when used in this act shall |
10 | have the meanings given to them in this section unless the |
11 | context clearly indicates otherwise: |
12 | "Community-based health care clinic." A nonprofit health |
13 | care center located in this Commonwealth that provides health |
14 | care services to low-income and uninsured individuals and meets |
15 | either of the following criteria: |
16 | (1) serves a federally designated medically underserved |
|
1 | area, a medically underserved population or a health |
2 | professional shortage area; or |
3 | (2) serves a patient population with a majority of that |
4 | population having an income less than 200% of the Federal |
5 | poverty income guidelines, including: |
6 | (i) A federally qualified health center as defined |
7 | in section 1905(l)(2)(B) of the Social Security Act (49 |
8 | Stat. 620, 42 U.S.C. § 1396d(l)(2)(B)) or a federally |
9 | qualified health center look-alike. |
10 | (ii) A rural health clinic as defined in section |
11 | 1861(aa)(2) of the Social Security Act (49 Stat. 620, 42 |
12 | U.S.C. § 1395x(aa)(2)), certified by Medicare. |
13 | (iii) A hospital health clinic. |
14 | (iv) A free or partial-pay health clinic that |
15 | provides services by volunteer and nonvolunteer health |
16 | care providers. |
17 | (v) A nurse-managed health care clinic that is |
18 | managed by advanced practice nurses and is associated |
19 | with a department of nursing, a federally qualified |
20 | health center or an independent nonprofit health or |
21 | social services agency. |
22 | "Health care professional." A physician, dentist, dental |
23 | hygienist, nurse, certified registered nurse practitioner or | <-- |
24 | physician assistant licensed, certified or registered with any | <-- |
25 | of the licensure boards. |
26 | "Licensure board." Includes the following departmental |
27 | administrative boards within the Department of State: |
28 | (1) The State Board of Medicine. |
29 | (2) The State Board of Osteopathic Medicine. |
30 | (3) The State Board of Dentistry. |
|
1 | (4) The State Board of Nursing. |
2 | Section 3. Volunteer continuing education. |
3 | Beginning with the licensure period commencing after the |
4 | effective date of this act and following written notice by the |
5 | appropriate licensure board, health care professionals shall be |
6 | permitted to apply volunteer time served in a community-based |
7 | health care clinic toward completion of no more than 20% of the | <-- |
8 | mandatory continuing education hours required by the appropriate |
9 | licensure board, except for continuing eduction required under | <-- |
10 | section 6 of the act of December 4, 1996 (P.L.893, No.141), |
11 | known as the Volunteer Health Services Act. Acceptable |
12 | documentation of volunteer hours shall be done in accordance |
13 | with applicable regulations policy established by each board. | <-- |
14 | Policies shall be effective upon publication in the Pennsylvania | <-- |
15 | Bulletin. |
16 | Section 4. Annual report. |
17 | The Department of State shall submit a report to the chair |
18 | and minority chair of the Public Health and Welfare Committee of |
19 | the Senate and the chair and minority chair of the Health and |
20 | Human Resources Committee of the House of Representatives |
21 | detailing the number of health care professionals who have |
22 | indicated they have applied volunteer hours served in a | <-- |
23 | community-based health care clinic, in their renewal | <-- |
24 | application. |
25 | Section 20. Effective date. |
26 | This act shall take effect in 60 days. |
|