THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
HOUSE BILL
No. 1251 Session of 2007
INTRODUCED BY READSHAW, EACHUS, KORTZ, SIPTROTH, TANGRETTI,
THOMAS, WOJNAROSKI, FABRIZIO AND CALTAGIRONE, MAY 8, 2007
SENATOR ARMSTRONG, APPROPRIATIONS, IN SENATE, RE-REPORTED AS
AMENDED, JULY 10, 2007
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 mannernot 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 medical care facilities 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 may 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. 20070H1251B2287
(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 medical care facilities 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.
August 2007