M e d i c a l R e c o r d F e at u r e
Quarterly Legislative Update A
lot of legislation has been going on in Harrisburg in the last couple of months. There was a big win for international medical graduates in April when Governor Tom Wolf signed House Bill 245 into law, which establishes a licensing parity for graduates of international medical schools. This reduces the clinical residency requirement from three years to two years from IMGs to apply for a medical license. PAMED championed this legislation and celebrated this win. On May 17th, Pennsylvania held is primary election day and there were a lot of interesting results. One loss we saw was for House Appropriations Committee Chair, Stan Saylor (R-) by over 10 percent to his challenger. Another highlight to note, the race for the 86th PA State House District pitted incumbent Rep. John Hershey against incumbent Rep. Perry Stambaugh; Stambaugh won re-election in the new district by 10 percent. As the legislative session ends in June, there has been a lot of movement on bills we are keeping an eye on: • Venue Rule (House Bill 2660) – Introduced by State Representative Rob Kauffman, institutes Constitutional amendment that will strip the Supreme Court’s ability to establish venue and place the matter in the hands of the legislature. While the Supreme Court has not acted on the proposed venue rule change, it continues to be a threat. PAMED supports the proposed amendment to keep the current venue rule in place. • Prior Authorization (Senate Bill 225) – The Prior Authorization bill was passed by the Senate on a vote of 50-0. It now goes to the PA House for further consideration. PAMED has been supporting and advocating for prior authorization reform and is supportive of the amended version of Senate Bill 225.
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• Pharmacists Performing Immunizations (House Bill 2679 & Senate Bill 511) – The temporary waiver issuing Pharmacists to perform vaccinations is set to expire on June 30th. The Pennsylvania Pharmacists Association has been advocating for a permanent position for pharmacists to perform all vaccines for children. Working in coordination with the PA Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics, the PA Academy of Family Physicians, POMA, and the PA Chapter of the American College of Physicians, an agreement has been reached to allow pharmacists to administer seasonal flu and COVID vaccines to their customers aged 5 and above. The legislation, House Bill 2679, along with Senate Bill 511, contains the compromise language. At this time, it is uncertain as to what vehicle will be approved and sent to the Governor. • Mental Health Services (House Bill 2686) – Introduced by Rep. Wendi Thomas, this legislation aims to improve access to mental health care in Pennsylvania through the Collaborative Care Model, an integrated care model that can deliver timely psychiatric care in the primary care setting. This grant would create a program for small and solo practices to cover their Collaborative Care Model start-up costs, prioritizing those practices in rural and underserved areas of Pennsylvania. PAMED is in support of these services, and the bill has been referred to the Health and Human Services Committee. • Fentanyl Strips (House Bill 1393) – This bill amends The Controlled Substance, Drug, Device and Cosmetic Act of 1972, which includes the definition of drug paraphernalia. The Pennsylvania House of Representatives unanimously approved the bill which would legalize fentanyl test strips. PAMED supports this legislation, and the bill has been referred to the Judiciary Committee in the Senate.
