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Pa. To Issue ID's For Medical Personnel

HARRISBURG (CBS) - There's a hearing scheduled in Harrisburg this week to begin the process of creating state-approved ID's for medical personnel.

When the question is asked, 'Is there a doctor in the house?,' it is usually expected that a D.O. or M.D. will answer and not a PhD.

Scott Chadwick, vice president of government affairs at the Pennsylvania Medical Society, said a law passed last year recognizes that a lot of people in medicine have doctorates but not all are physicians. "You might see a non-physician health care provider with a white lab coat that says Dr. Jones or Dr. Smith and to the public they'll think that's a physician," Chadwick said, "but it might be someone with a doctorate in nursing or some other non-physician speciality."

The badge is likely to include a photo, name, title, and the type of license or certification its bearer holds. Hospitals, which largely already do this, have been given extra time to comply with the State guidelines.

Reported by John Ostapkovich, KYW Newsradio

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