Session of 2022
No. 2022-79
 
HB 2604
 
AN ACT
 
Amending the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), entitled "An act relating to health
            care; prescribing the powers and duties of the Department of Health; establishing
            and providing the powers and duties of the State Health Coordinating Council, health
            systems agencies and Health Care Policy Board in the Department of Health, and State
            Health Facility Hearing Board in the Department of Justice; providing for certification
            of need of health care providers and prescribing penalties," in licensing of health
            care facilities, further providing for photo identification tag regulations.
         
 
The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania hereby enacts as follows:
 
Section 1.  Section 809.2(a)(1) and (e) of the act of July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known as
            the Health Care Facilities Act, are amended to read:
         
Section 809.2.  Photo identification tag regulations.
(a)  Regulations.--Except as provided under subsection (c), the department shall promulgate
            regulations under subsection (b) to require employees to wear a photo identification
            tag when the employee is working. The following shall apply:
         
(1)  The photo identification tag shall include a recent photograph of the employee, the
            employee's first name, the employee's title and the name of [the health care facility
            or employment agency.] any of the following:
(i)  The health care facility.
(ii)  The health system.
(iii)  The employment agency.
(iv)  The fictitious name of an entity under subparagraph (i), (ii) or (iii) which is registered
            with the Department of State under 54 Pa.C.S. Ch. 3 (relating to fictitious names)
            or a successor statute.
         
* * *
(e)  Definitions.--As used in this section, the following words and phrases shall have
            the meanings given to them in this subsection unless the context clearly indicates
            otherwise:
         
"Employee."  An employee or a physician of any of the following that delivers direct care to a
            consumer:
         
(1)  A health care facility.
(2)  A health care provider.
(3)  The private practice of a physician.
(4)  An employment agency.
(5)  A health system.
(6)  The fictitious name of any person or entity under paragraph (1), (2), (3), (4) or
            (5) which is registered with the Department of State under 54 Pa.C.S. Ch. 3 or a successor
            statute.
         
"Employment agency."  A public or private organization that provides employment services for persons seeking
            employment and for potential employers seeking employees.
         
"Health system."  Two or more health care facilities, with at least one being a hospital, which are
            owned by a common legal entity or that have entered into an affiliation agreement
            to combine or coordinate delivery of health care services under a common organizational
            name.
         
"Title."  [A] An applicable license, certification [or], registration or job title held by [the] an employee who provides direct patient care to a consumer.
         
Section 2.  The Department of Health shall promulgate final regulations to implement the amendment
            of section 809.2(a)(1) and (e) of the act no later than two years after the effective
            date of this section.
         
Section 3.  This act shall take effect immediately.
 
APPROVED--The 11th day of July, A.D. 2022.
 
TOM WOLF