House Co-Sponsorship Memoranda

After hearing from numerous physician assistants and providers of in-home care within my community, I will be introducing legislation that will help physician assistants work and practice with increased efficiency in Pennsylvania.
 

Physician assistants are a critical component of the healthcare team. Their education and training are in the medical model, which provides both physicians and patients with excellent resources and access to healthcare. During the waiver period that expanded access to care during the pandemic, physician assistants practiced under many of the provisions in my forthcoming legislation and the result was greater flexibility, more efficient collaborative practice, and increased access to healthcare.

 

Pennsylvania has long been one of the premier states for physician assistant education with more than 28 programs currently in the state. While Acts 78 and 79 of 2021 helped to modernize the practice acts for many physician assistants, we could do more to reinforce the successful collaborative model between physicians and physician assistants. With my legislation, Pennsylvania can reaffirm its commitment to encourage more physician assistants to stay and practice in the Commonwealth, resulting in a diverse range of medical professionals across the healthcare delivery system. Additionally, providers are in need of flexibility to provide in-home care to individuals who do not consistently see a primary care physician. In-home care provided by physician assistants can involve basic medical measurements such as taking blood pressure, measuring a patient's weight, and surveying a client's social determinants of health.  

My legislation will do the following:

It is important to note that with the exception of the change in title and collaboration, these provisions were in place for the entirety of the healthcare waiver period under the COVID-19 Emergency Declaration. This allowed physician assistants to practice to the fullest extent of their training and for healthcare systems to operate more efficiently.

 

To accomplish the intent of the legislation we will need to amend both the Medical Practice Act and the Osteopathic Medical Practice Act. Therefore, I will be introducing two corresponding pieces of legislation.