|
|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
|
State
Rep. John Yudichak |
  
|
Yudichak bill to license respiratory therapists signed into law
HARRISBURG, July 8 – State Rep. John Yudichak, D-Luzerne, said legislation he sponsored that would license respiratory therapists has been signed into law.
Respiratory therapists administer oxygen and other medical gases to patients, take blood gas and perform other tests under a doctor's supervision.
Yudichak’s legislation (H.B. 1804, Act 45 of 2008) will require respiratory therapists to be licensed by the state. Respiratory therapists are currently not licensed in Pennsylvania, but instead receive certification from either the State Board of Medicine or the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine. In the early 1990s, therapists made a push to become licensed, but state legislators at the time said there were too many licenses already being granted in the state and instead advised the therapists to become certified under an already existing licensure board, according to Yudichak.
Yudichak said many people, including the therapists themselves, mistakenly believe they are state-certified because they receive a licensure number on the official national board document.
"This legislation will resolve any confusion and also let the public know that the therapists performing treatments have solid credentials," Yudichak said.
The legislation also will require 30 hours of continuing education every two years as a condition of license renewal.
Yudichak said language amended into the legislation by state Rep. Tim Seip, D-Schuylkill/Berks, will expand the scope of practice for physician assistants, allowing them to order durable medical equipment for patients and referrals to physical therapy, respiratory and occupational therapy and dietitians. The measure mirrors a recently passed law that gave the same abilities to certified registered nurse practitioners.
###vls/2008/bt
l:'print'releases'respiratorycarepass.119