Text: SSB03137                          Text: SSB03139
Text: SSB03100 - SSB03199               Text: SSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

Senate Study Bill 3138

Bill Text

PAG LIN
  1  1    Section 1.  Section 147.14, subsection 12, Code Supplement
  1  2 1999, is amended to read as follows:
  1  3    12.  For the board of physician assistant examiners, three
  1  4 five members licensed to practice as physician assistants, at
  1  5 least two of whom practice in counties with a population of
  1  6 less than fifty thousand, one member licensed to practice
  1  7 medicine and surgery who supervises a physician assistant, one
  1  8 member licensed to practice osteopathic medicine and surgery
  1  9 who supervises a physician assistant, and two members who are
  1 10 not licensed to practice either medicine and surgery or
  1 11 osteopathic medicine and surgery or licensed as a physician
  1 12 assistant and who shall represent the general public.  At
  1 13 least one of the physician members shall be in practice in a
  1 14 county with a population of less than fifty thousand.  A
  1 15 majority of members of the board constitutes a quorum.
  1 16    Sec. 2.  Section 147.74, subsection 16, Code Supplement
  1 17 1999, is amended to read as follows:
  1 18    16.  A physician assistant registered or licensed under
  1 19 chapter 148C may use the words "physician assistant" after the
  1 20 person's name or signify the same by the use of the letters
  1 21 "P. A." after the person's name.
  1 22    Sec. 3.  Section 147.80, subsection 5, Code 1999, is
  1 23 amended to read as follows:
  1 24    5.  Application for a license to practice as a physician
  1 25 assistant, issuance of a license to practice as a physician
  1 26 assistant issued upon the basis of an examination given or
  1 27 approved by the board of physician assistant examiners,
  1 28 issuance of a license to practice as a physician assistant
  1 29 issued under a reciprocal agreement, renewal of a license to
  1 30 practice as a physician assistant, temporary license to
  1 31 practice as a physician assistant, registration of a physician
  1 32 assistant, temporary registration of a physician assistant,
  1 33 renewal of a registration of a physician assistant.
  1 34    Sec. 4.  Section 147.107, subsection 5, Code 1999, is
  1 35 amended to read as follows:
  2  1    5.  Notwithstanding subsection 1 and any other provision of
  2  2 this section to the contrary, a physician may delegate the
  2  3 function of prescribing drugs, controlled substances, and
  2  4 medical devices to a physician assistant licensed pursuant to
  2  5 chapter 148C.  When delegated prescribing occurs, the
  2  6 supervising physician's name shall be used, recorded, or
  2  7 otherwise indicated in connection with each individual
  2  8 prescription so that the individual who dispenses or
  2  9 administers the prescription knows under whose delegated
  2 10 authority the physician assistant is prescribing.  Rules
  2 11 relating to the authority of physician assistants to prescribe
  2 12 drugs, controlled substances, and medical devices pursuant to
  2 13 this subsection shall be adopted by the board of physician
  2 14 assistant examiners, after consultation with the board of
  2 15 medical examiners and the board of pharmacy examiners, as soon
  2 16 as possible after July 1, 1991.  The rules shall be reviewed
  2 17 and approved by the physician assistant rules review group
  2 18 created under subsection 7 and shall be adopted in final form
  2 19 by January 1, 1993.  However, the rules shall prohibit the
  2 20 prescribing of schedule II controlled substances which are
  2 21 listed as stimulants or depressants pursuant to chapter 124.
  2 22 If rules are not reviewed and approved by the physician
  2 23 assistant rules review group created under subsection 7 and
  2 24 adopted in final form by January 1, 1993, a physician
  2 25 assistant may prescribe drugs as a delegated act of a
  2 26 supervising physician under rules adopted by the board of
  2 27 physician assistant examiners and subject to the rules review
  2 28 process established in section 148C.7.  The board of physician
  2 29 assistant examiners shall be the only board to regulate the
  2 30 practice of physician assistants relating to prescribing and
  2 31 supplying prescription drugs, controlled substances and
  2 32 medical devices, notwithstanding section 148C.6A.
  2 33    Sec. 5.  Section 148.13, subsections 1 and 4, Code 1999,
  2 34 are amended by striking the subsections.
  2 35    Sec. 6.  Section 148C.1, Code 1999, is amended by striking
  3  1 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
  3  2    148C.1  DEFINITIONS.
  3  3    1.  "Approved program" means a program for the education of
  3  4 physician assistants which has been accredited by the
  3  5 committee on accreditation of allied health educational
  3  6 programs, by its successor, the commission on accreditation of
  3  7 allied health educational programs, or by its successor.
  3  8    2.  "Board" means the board of physician assistant
  3  9 examiners.
  3 10    3.  "Licensed physician assistant" means a person who is
  3 11 licensed as a physician assistant by the board to practice
  3 12 medicine with the supervision of one or more physicians.
  3 13    4.  "Physician" means a person who is currently licensed in
  3 14 Iowa to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine
  3 15 and surgery, or osteopathy.
  3 16    5.  "Physician assistant" means a person who has graduated
  3 17 from an approved physician assistant or surgeon assistant
  3 18 program or a person who has passed the certifying examination
  3 19 administered by the national commission on certification of
  3 20 physician assistants or its successor.
  3 21    Sec. 7.  Section 148C.3, Code 1999, is amended by striking
  3 22 the section and inserting in lieu thereof the following:
  3 23    148C.3  LICENSURE.
  3 24    1.  The board shall adopt rules to govern the licensure of
  3 25 persons who qualify as physician assistants.  An applicant for
  3 26 licensure shall submit the fee prescribed by the board and
  3 27 shall meet the requirements established by the board with
  3 28 respect to each of the following:
  3 29    a.  Academic qualifications, including evidence of
  3 30 graduation from an approved program.  However, if the board
  3 31 determines that a person has sufficient knowledge and
  3 32 experience to qualify as a physician assistant, the board may
  3 33 approve an application for licensure submitted prior to July
  3 34 1, 2001, without requiring the applicant to have completed an
  3 35 approved program or to have passed the examination for
  4  1 physician assistants conducted by the national commission on
  4  2 the certification of physician assistants or its successor.
  4  3 On or after July 1, 2001, a physician assistant who is not yet
  4  4 licensed pursuant to this chapter shall be required to have
  4  5 graduated from an approved program or to have passed the
  4  6 examination for physician assistants conducted by the national
  4  7 commission on the certification of physician assistants or its
  4  8 successor.
  4  9    b.  Hours of continuing medical education necessary to
  4 10 become or remain licensed.
  4 11    2.  Rules shall be adopted by the board pursuant to this
  4 12 chapter permitting licensed physicians to supervise licensed
  4 13 physician assistants.
  4 14    3.  A licensed physician assistant shall perform only those
  4 15 services for which the licensed physician assistant is
  4 16 qualified by training.
  4 17    4.  The board may issue an inactive license under
  4 18 conditions prescribed by rules adopted by the board.
  4 19    Sec. 8.  Section 148C.4, Code 1999, is amended to read as
  4 20 follows:
  4 21    148C.4  SERVICES PERFORMED BY PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS.
  4 22    A physician assistant may perform medical services when the
  4 23 services are rendered under the supervision of the a licensed
  4 24 physician or physicians specified in the physician assistant
  4 25 license approved by the board.  A trainee physician assistant
  4 26 student may perform medical services when the services are
  4 27 rendered within the scope of an approved program.
  4 28    Sec. 9.  Section 148C.11, Code 1999, is amended to read as
  4 29 follows:
  4 30    148C.11  PROHIBITION – CRIME.
  4 31    A person not registered and licensed as required by this
  4 32 chapter who practices as a physician assistant without having
  4 33 obtained the appropriate approval under this chapter, is
  4 34 guilty of a serious misdemeanor.
  4 35    Sec. 10.  PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS – RULES.  The board shall
  5  1 adopt new rules pursuant to chapter 17A to administer chapter
  5  2 148C no later than January 1, 2001.  The rules shall be
  5  3 designed to encourage the utilization of physician assistants
  5  4 in a manner that is consistent with the provision of quality
  5  5 health care and medical services for the citizens of Iowa
  5  6 through better utilization of available physicians and the
  5  7 development of sound programs for the education and training
  5  8 of skilled physician assistants well qualified to assist
  5  9 physicians in providing health care and medical services.
  5 10    Sec. 11.  Sections 148C.2, 148C.5A, 148C.6A, and 148C.7,
  5 11 Code 1999, are repealed.
  5 12    Sec. 12.  EFFECTIVE DATE.  This Act, being deemed of
  5 13 immediate importance, takes effect upon enactment.  
  5 14                           EXPLANATION
  5 15    This bill modifies licensure requirements for physician
  5 16 assistants.
  5 17    The bill provides for an increase in the number of members
  5 18 of the board of physician assistant examiners to add two
  5 19 additional members licensed to practice as physician
  5 20 assistants.  This increase results in a total of nine members
  5 21 serving on the board.  The bill eliminates provisions relating
  5 22 to registration as a physician assistant, and also eliminates
  5 23 the physician assistant rules review group established in Code
  5 24 section 148C.7, which functions to review and either approve
  5 25 or disapprove proposed rules by the board of physician
  5 26 assistant examiners.  The bill further eliminates provisions
  5 27 regarding the adoption of rules by December 31, 1988, relating
  5 28 to the eligibility of a physician to serve as a supervising
  5 29 physician, and regarding appeals to the board of medical
  5 30 examiners of decisions of the board of physician assistant
  5 31 examiners in a contested case involving discipline of a
  5 32 licensed physician assistant.
  5 33    The bill provides for several changes to the definitions
  5 34 applicable to physician assistants pursuant to Code chapter
  5 35 148C.  The bill provides that an approved physician assistant
  6  1 program refers to a program accredited by the committee on
  6  2 accreditation of allied health educational programs, its
  6  3 successor, the commission on accreditation of allied health
  6  4 educational programs, or its successor, rather than pursuant
  6  5 to rules as currently defined.  The bill also provides that a
  6  6 physician assistant refers to a person who has graduated from
  6  7 an approved physician assistant or surgeon assistant program,
  6  8 or a person who has passed the certifying examination
  6  9 administered by the national commission on certification of
  6 10 physician assistants or its successor, rather than the current
  6 11 definition providing for passing or completing a board-
  6 12 approved examination or program.  The bill provides that a
  6 13 licensed physician assistant practices medicine with the
  6 14 supervision of physicians, as opposed to the current
  6 15 definition indicating a physician assistant practices under
  6 16 the supervision of physicians specified on the license.
  6 17    The bill provides for modifications regarding requirements
  6 18 for licensure as a physician assistant consistent with the
  6 19 revised definitions and elimination of registration as a
  6 20 physician assistant.  The bill provides that if the board
  6 21 determines that a person has sufficient knowledge and
  6 22 experience to qualify as a physician assistant, the board may
  6 23 approve an application for licensure submitted prior to July
  6 24 1, 2001, without requiring the completion of an approved
  6 25 program or the passing of an examination, but that on or after
  6 26 July 1, 2001, a physician assistant who is not yet licensed
  6 27 will be required to have graduated from an approved program or
  6 28 have passed the previously explained examination.
  6 29    The bill further requires that the board of physician
  6 30 assistant examiners adopt new rules relating to administration
  6 31 of Code chapter 148C on or before January 1, 2001.
  6 32    The bill takes effect upon enactment.  
  6 33 LSB 5653XC 78
  6 34 rn/cf/24
     

Text: SSB03137                          Text: SSB03139
Text: SSB03100 - SSB03199               Text: SSB Index
Bills and Amendments: General Index     Bill History: General Index

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