Senate Update

by Senator James J. Rhoades

While much of the media attention in Harrisburg has been focused on the state budget negotiations, the General Assembly has also passed several bills in recent weeks that will make noteworthy improvements to our health care system.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that more than 2 million patients a year are affected by hospital-acquired infections. The Senate approved legislation last month that would create a statewide effort to reduce these infections to lower costs and improve patient safety.

Senate Bill 968 would require all health care facilities to implement infection control plans, and the state Patient Safety Authority will oversee the reporting of infections and track those numbers against the national rate. Incentives would also be provided for facilities to reduce these infections. The legislation has passed the Senate, and the House of Representatives is expected to consider the legislation before the summer recess.

The General Assembly also passed five bills that would expand the scope of practice for many qualified health care professionals. The bills would lift restrictions on many non-physician professionals to allow them to perform services they are trained to provide. The package of bills passed by the General Assembly includes legislation to expand the duties of certified nurse practitioners, nurse midwives, clinical nurse specialists and physician assistants.

In addition to the scope of practice bills, the Senate recently passed legislation I cosponsored that would create a cancer drug repository for safe, unused medications. Senate Bill 638 would give uninsured and underinsured patients access to the medications they need through participating pharmacies and clinics. The cost of these medications is often high due to the amount spend on research and development, so this legislation will help many low-income cancer patients clear this financial hurdle.

The Governor has proposed a number of additional health care initiatives that the General Assembly will consider in the fall. We will be looking at the costs and benefits of these proposals to determine ways that we can continue to improve our health care system without overburdening our taxpayers.

Senator Rhoades represents the 29th Senatorial District, which includes all of Schuylkill County and parts of Berks, Carbon, Lehigh, Monroe and Northampton Counties.