URGENT ACTION NEEDED NOW: HAWAII, House Bill H.B. 2578

As you know, maintaining current certification is a high-stakes proposition for any PA, but it is much more so in states that require PAs to have current certification to maintain your PA license. While most PAs choose to maintain their certification, tying current certification – and as a result, passage of PANRE – to license renewal means PAs who fail the exam may also risk losing their jobs. PAs are the only healthcare profession required to pass a periodic recertification exam to maintain state licensure- this is not required for physicians or advanced practice nurses.

Only 17 states (including Hawaii) require current certification for license renewal. If passed, H.B. 2578 would bring Hawaii’s license renewal process in line with the majority of other states. Help us move this important legislation towards passage. Please take a moment to send your message of support today.

Sincerely,
Rocco Laudadio, DHSc., PA-C
President, Hawaii Academy of PAs

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Dear Members of the House Health and Human Services Committee:

As a PA (physician assistant) practicing in (location), I urge your SUPPORT for H.B. 2578. This bill will allow PAs to renew licensure upon the completion of a specified number of continuing medical education (CME) hours, and will prohibit the Hawaii Medical Board from requiring PAs to maintain current certification from the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA) as a condition of license renewal. This bill is consistent with the renewal process used in 31 states and the District of Columbia and the license renewal requirements for Hawaii physicians.

PAs are healthcare practitioners who receive a graduate-level degree after an approximately 27-month program of study. The typical PA student receives more than 2,000 hours of supervised, hands-on clinical care experience before graduation, and all new PAs must take and pass an initial national certifying exam. The more than 300 PAs in Hawaii diagnose illnesses, develop and manage treatment plans and prescribe medications in every medical setting and specialty.

Only seventeen states (including Hawaii) require PAs to maintain NCCPA certification, which requires passage of a recertification exam every six or ten years, as a condition of license renewal. While preparation for this exam requires PAs to take significant amounts of time away from practice, there is no evidence that requiring maintenance of certification has a positive impact on patient care. While other healthcare practitioners may be subject to their own maintenance of certification requirements, in these 17 states, PAs are the only healthcare profession for which license renewal is tied to the passage of a recertification exam rather than completion of CME.

PAs are known to provide safe, quality healthcare to their patients. The majority of states, as well as federal programs like Medicare and Medicaid, do not require PAs to maintain certification. Instead, the decision to require current certification is left to individual PAs and their employers. I urge Hawaii to do the same by passing H.B. 2578.

Sincerely,

(Your name/city)

Feel free to add your own story reflecting your experience with maintenance NCCPA certification!

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