Bill Text: PA SB936 | 2011-2012 | Regular Session | Introduced

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Bill Title: Providing for certified registered nurse anesthetist, certification requirements, qualifications, renewal of certification, for standards of practice and for professional liability.

Spectrum: Moderate Partisan Bill (Republican 5-1)

Status: (Introduced - Dead) 2011-04-08 - Referred to CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE [SB936 Detail]

Download: Pennsylvania-2011-SB936-Introduced.html

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PRINTER'S NO. 1014
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE BILL
No. 936 Session of2011
INTRODUCED BY M. WHITE, VANCE, BREWSTER, EARLL, WAUGH AND BROWNE, APRIL 8, 2011
REFERRED TO CONSUMER PROTECTION AND PROFESSIONAL LICENSURE, APRIL 8, 2011
AN ACT
Amending the act of May 22, 1951 (P.L.317, No.69), entitled, as
amended, "An act relating to the practice of professional
nursing; providing for the licensing of nurses and for the
revocation and suspension of such licenses, subject to
appeal, and for their reinstatement; providing for the
renewal of such licenses; regulating nursing in general;
prescribing penalties and repealing certain laws," providing
for certified registered nurse anesthetist, certification
requirements, qualifications, renewal of certification, for
standards of practice and for professional liability.
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
hereby enacts as follows:
Section 1. The act of May 22, 1951 (P.L.317, No.69), known
as The Professional Nursing Law, is amended by adding sections
to read:
Section 8.8. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist;
Certification required; Qualifications; Biennial Renewal.--(a)
The board shall promulgate regulations related to the
certification of nurses to administer anesthesia, the conduct of
nurses certified to administer anesthesia and the discipline of
nurses certified to administer anesthesia. Beginning six months
from the effective date of the regulations, a nurse shall not
administer anesthesia or hold himself out as a certified
registered nurse anesthetist, nurse anesthetist or use the
initials CRNA, unless the board has certified the nurse as a
certified registered nurse anesthetist, and the individual has a
current active certification to practice. The board shall
establish fees for the certification of nurses as certified
registered nurse anesthetists, for the biennial renewal of
certification and for such other purposes as are necessary to
carry out the provisions of this act related to certified
registered nurse anesthetists.
(b) The board may certify a licensed registered nurse as a
certified registered nurse anesthetist if the nurse files a
complete application with the board, pays a fee established by
the board and satisfies the requirements established by this act
and regulations promulgated by the board. Certification of a
certified registered nurse anesthetist shall expire on the same
date as the nurse's registered nurse license. A nurse shall not
qualify for initial certification by the board unless the nurse:
(1) Has completed an educational program of a school for
nurse anesthetists accredited by an accrediting agency
recognized by the board.
(2) Holds current national certification as a certified
registered nurse anesthetist as recognized by the board.
(3) Meets all other board requirements to practice as a
certified registered nurse anesthetist.
(c) As a condition of biennial certificate renewal by the
board, a certified registered nurse anesthetist shall
demonstrate that the nurse holds current national certification
recognized by the board, shall submit a renewal application and
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shall pay a renewal fee established by regulation.
Section 8.9. Standards of Practice.--(a) Certified
registered nurse anesthetists shall be subject to the following:
(1) Certified registered nurse anesthetists shall practice
in accordance with quality and ethical standards set forth in
regulations of the board.
(2) Certified registered nurse anesthetists shall administer
anesthesia in cooperation with a physician, dentist or
podiatrist. For purposes of this clause, the term "cooperation"
means a process in which a nurse anesthetist and a physician,
dentist or podiatrist work together with each contributing an
area of expertise, at their individual and respective levels of
education and training.
(3) When practicing in a health care facility licensed by
the Department of Health, such as a hospital, certified
registered nurse anesthetists shall be under the overall
direction of the chief or director of anesthesia services or
designee who is physically present in the health care facility.
(4) Notwithstanding paragraph (3), certified registered
nurse anesthetists may provide specific services without the
physical presence of a physician if authorized by Department of
Health regulations.
(5) When practicing in a facility not licensed by the
Department of Health, such as a physician's office, certified
registered nurse anesthetists shall be under the overall
direction of the physician, dentist or podiatrist responsible
for the patient's care, and the certified registered nurse
anesthetist shall have an anesthesiologist or other appropriate
consulting physician, as determined by the board, available by
physical presence or electronic communication.
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(6) Certified registered nurse anesthetists shall abide by
the bylaws, rules and procedures of the facility in which they
provide anesthesia services consistent with the quality and
ethical standards of the profession.
(b) As used in this section, the term "overall direction"
means a process through which physicians, dentists or
podiatrists and certified registered nurse anesthetists provide
anesthesia services, including involvement in the patient's
anesthesia care plan and ongoing communication between the
physician, dentist or podiatrist and the certified registered
nurse anesthetist responsible for the patient's care during a
procedure.
Section 8.10. Professional Liability.--A certified registered
nurse anesthetist practicing in this Commonwealth shall maintain
a level of professional liability coverage as required for a
nonparticipating health care provider under the act of March 20,
2002 (P.L.154, No.13), known as the "Medical Care Availability
and Reduction of Error (Mcare) Act," but shall not be eligible
to participate in the Medical Care Availability and Reduction of
Error (Mcare) Fund.
Section 2. The State Board of Nursing shall promulgate
regulations to implement the addition of sections 8.8, 8.9 and
8.10 of the act within 24 months of the effective date of this
section.
Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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