SENATE AMENDED
PRIOR PRINTER'S NOS. 1539, 1984, 2174 PRINTER'S NO. 2287
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
1 Amending the act of December 20, 1985 (P.L.457, No.112),
2 entitled "An act relating to the right to practice medicine
3 and surgery and the right to practice medically related acts;
4 reestablishing the State Board of Medical Education and
5 Licensure as the State Board of Medicine and providing for
6 its composition, powers and duties; providing for the
7 issuance of licenses and certificates and the suspension and
8 revocation of licenses and certificates; providing penalties;
9 and making repeals," further providing for physician
10 assistants.
11 The General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania
12 hereby enacts as follows:
13 Section 1. Section 13(e) and (g) of the act of December 20,
14 1985 (P.L.457, No.112), known as the Medical Practice Act of
15 1985, are amended to read:
16 Section 13. Physician assistants.
17 * * *
18 (e) Written agreement.--A physician assistant shall not
19 provide a medical service without a written agreement with one
20 or more physicians which provides for all of the following:
21 (1) Identifies and is signed by each physician the
1 physician assistant will be assisting.
2 (2) Describes the manner in which the physician
3 assistant will be assisting each named physician.
4 (3) Describes the nature and degree of supervision and
5 direction each named physician will provide the physician
6 assistant.
7 (4) Designates one of the named physicians as having the
8 primary responsibility for supervising and directing the
9 physician assistant.
10 (5) Has been approved by the board as satisfying the
11 foregoing and as consistent with the restrictions contained
12 in or authorized by this section.
13 A physician assistant shall not assist a physician in a manner
14 not described in the agreement or without the nature and degree
15 of supervision and direction described in the agreement. [The
16 physician designated as having primary responsibility for the
17 physician assistant shall not have primary responsibility for
18 more than two physician assistants.] There shall be no more than
19 four physician assistants for whom a physician has
20 responsibility or supervises pursuant to a written agreement at
21 any time. In medical care facilities HEALTH CARE FACILITIES <--
22 LICENSED UNDER THE ACT OF JULY 19, 1979 (P.L.130, NO.48), KNOWN
23 AS THE HEALTH CARE FACILITIES ACT, a physician assistant may <--
24 SHALL be under the supervision and direction of a physician or <--
25 physician group pursuant to a written agreement, provided that a
26 physician supervises no more than four physician assistants at
27 any time. A physician may apply for a waiver TO EMPLOY OR <--
28 SUPERVISE MORE THAN FOUR PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AT ANY TIME under
29 this section for good cause, as determined by the board.
30 * * *
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1 (g) Supervision.--A physician assistant may be employed by a
2 [medical care facility] HEALTH CARE FACILITY LICENSED UNDER THE <--
3 HEALTH CARE FACILITIES ACT under the supervision and direction
4 of an approved physician or group of such physicians, provided
5 one of those physicians is designated as having the primary
6 responsibility for supervising and directing the physician
7 assistant [and provided that a physician assistant shall not be
8 responsible to more than three physicians]. In medical care <--
9 facilities HEALTH CARE FACILITIES LICENSED UNDER THE HEALTH CARE <--
10 FACILITIES ACT the attending physician of record for a
11 particular patient shall act as the primary supervising
12 physician for the physician assistant while that patient is
13 under the care of the attending physician.
14 * * *
15 Section 2. The State Board of Medicine shall promulgate
16 regulations to implement the amendment of section 13(e) and (g)
17 of the act within 18 months of the effective date of this act.
18 Section 3. This act shall take effect in 60 days.
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