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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE |
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State
Rep. Dante Santoni |
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Santoni patient safety bills will become law
HARRISBURG, May 14 – Legislation introduced by state Rep. Dante Santoni, D-Berks, that would better protect patients undergoing long and difficult surgeries has cleared the House and Senate and is now poised to become law.
House Bills 500 and 501 would require perfusionists to be licensed in Pennsylvania and added to the state Board of Medicine and state Board of Osteopathic Medicine. Perfusionists are the medical professionals who monitor and analyze heart-lung machines during complicated procedures such as open heart surgery and live-donor organ transplants.
"My legislation attempts to protect patients in the operating room while distinguishing the medical professionals who have gone through the necessary training and follow the rules as they practice their profession," Santoni said. "Perfusionists are a critical part of many life-saving procedures, literally keeping patients alive as doctors do their work. As the demand for perfusionists rises, so does the need for Pennsylvania to update its laws to reflect their role in our health-care system."
Santoni's legislation now goes to Gov. Ed Rendell for his signature.
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