Pennsylvania Act 2007-46 — MEDICAL PRACTICE ACT OF 1985 - PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS

Act text

MEDICAL PRACTICE ACT OF 1985 - PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
                  Act of Jul. 20, 2007, P.L. 314, No. 46              Cl. 63
                             Session of 2007
                               No. 2007-46

     HB 1251

                                  AN ACT

     Amending the act of December 20, 1985 (P.L.457, No.112),
        entitled "An act relating to the right to practice medicine
        and surgery and the right to practice medically related acts;
        reestablishing the State Board of Medical Education and
        Licensure as the State Board of Medicine and providing for
        its composition, powers and duties; providing for the
        issuance of licenses and certificates and the suspension and
        revocation of licenses and certificates; providing penalties;
        and making repeals," further providing for physician
        assistants.

        The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
     hereby enacts as follows:

        Section 1.  Section 13(e) and (g) of the act of December 20,
     1985 (P.L.457, No.112), known as the Medical Practice Act of
     1985, are amended to read:
      Section 13.  Physician assistants.
        * * *
        (e)  Written agreement.--A physician assistant shall not
     provide a medical service without a written agreement with one
     or more physicians which provides for all of the following:
            (1)  Identifies and is signed by each physician the
        physician assistant will be assisting.
            (2)  Describes the manner in which the physician
        assistant will be assisting each named physician.
            (3)  Describes the nature and degree of supervision and
        direction each named physician will provide the physician
        assistant.
            (4)  Designates one of the named physicians as having the
        primary responsibility for supervising and directing the
        physician assistant.
            (5)  Has been approved by the board as satisfying the
        foregoing and as consistent with the restrictions contained
        in or authorized by this section.
     A physician assistant shall not assist a physician in a manner
     not described in the agreement or without the nature and degree
     of supervision and direction described in the agreement. [The
     physician designated as having primary responsibility for the
     physician assistant shall not have primary responsibility for
     more than two physician assistants.] There shall be no more than
     four physician assistants for whom a physician has
     responsibility or supervises pursuant to a written agreement at
     any time. In health care facilities licensed under the act of
     July 19, 1979 (P.L.130, No.48), known as the Health Care
     Facilities Act, a physician assistant shall be under the
     supervision and direction of a physician or physician group
     pursuant to a written agreement, provided that a physician
     supervises no more than four physician assistants at any time. A
     physician may apply for a waiver to employ or supervise more
     than four physician assistants at any time under this section
     for good cause, as determined by the board.
        * * *
        (g)  Supervision.--A physician assistant may be employed by a
     [medical care facility] health care facility licensed under the
     Health Care Facilities Act under the supervision and direction
     of an approved physician or group of such physicians, provided
     one of those physicians is designated as having the primary
     responsibility for supervising and directing the physician
     assistant [and provided that a physician assistant shall not be
     responsible to more than three physicians]. In health care
     facilities licensed under the Health Care Facilities Act, the
     attending physician of record for a particular patient shall act
     as the primary supervising physician for the physician assistant
     while that patient is under the care of the attending physician.
        * * *
        Section 2.  The State Board of Medicine shall promulgate
     regulations to implement the amendment of section 13(e) and (g)
     of the act within 18 months of the effective date of this act.
        Section 3.  This act shall take effect in 60 days.

     APPROVED--The 20th day of July, A. D. 2007.

     EDWARD G. RENDELL