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POMA Responds to Governor Shapiro's Call for CRNP Full Practice Authority
February 4, 2025

The Pennsylvania Osteopathic Medical Association (POMA) remains committed to ensuring that all patients receive the highest quality, physician-led care. While we appreciate Governor Josh Shapiro’s focus on improving healthcare access, we have serious concerns about granting full practice authority to Certified Registered Nurse Practitioners (CRNPs) without physician oversight.

Physicians complete years of extensive education and training, accumulating over 10,000 more clinical hours than CRNPs. This level of expertise is essential for accurately diagnosing complex conditions, managing chronic diseases, and ensuring patient safety. Eliminating physician oversight risks disrupting continuity of care and may lead to unintended consequences, particularly in Pennsylvania’s underserved communities.

This issue was already addressed in 2019 when a pilot program was negotiated and agreed upon to evaluate the impact of independent CRNP practice. However, the Pennsylvania Coalition of Nurse Practitioners walked away from the deal, abandoning a compromise that would have provided real data on patient outcomes. POMA stands ready to revisit this agreement and provide real data to Pennsylvania.

“Patients deserve care that prioritizes safety and quality above all else,” said William B. Swallow, DO, MS/FM, FACOFP, Captain MC, USNR (Ret.), President of POMA. “Healthcare is most effective when physicians and advanced practice providers work together as part of a collaborative team. Removing physician oversight threatens to weaken the overall standard of patient care.”

POMA stands ready to work with the General Assembly on responsible, team-based solutions that improve both access and quality of care—without sacrificing patient safety.