Senate File 2 - Introduced



                                       SENATE FILE       
                                       BY  KETTERING


    Passed Senate, Date               Passed House,  Date             
    Vote:  Ayes        Nays           Vote:  Ayes        Nays         
                 Approved                            

                                      A BILL FOR

  1 An Act to allow a physician assistant to examine a resident in a
  2    nursing facility.
  3 BE IT ENACTED BY THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF IOWA:
  4 TLSB 1065XS 82
  5 jr/je/5

PAG LIN



  1  1    Section 1.  Section 135C.3, subsection 1, Code 2007, is
  1  2 amended to read as follows:
  1  3    1.  A licensed nursing facility shall provide an organized
  1  4 twenty=four=hour program of services commensurate with the
  1  5 needs of its residents and under the immediate direction of a
  1  6 licensed nurse.  Medical and nursing services must be provided
  1  7 under the direction of either a house physician or an
  1  8 individually selected physician.  Each resident of a nursing
  1  9 facility shall be visited by or shall visit the resident's
  1 10 physician, or a licensed physician assistant under the
  1 11 supervision of the resident's physician, at least twice a
  1 12 year.  Surgery or obstetrical care shall not be provided
  1 13 within the facility.  An admission to the nursing facility
  1 14 must be based on a physician's written order certifying that
  1 15 the individual being admitted requires no greater degree of
  1 16 nursing care than the facility to which the admission is made
  1 17 is licensed to provide and is capable of providing.
  1 18                           EXPLANATION
  1 19    Currently, rules promulgated by the department of
  1 20 inspections and appeals require that a resident in a nursing
  1 21 facility be visited by the resident's physician twice a year.
  1 22 This bill would allow a licensed physician assistant under the
  1 23 supervision of the resident's physician to provide those
  1 24 visits.
  1 25    A licensed physician assistant practices under the
  1 26 supervision of one or more physicians.  However, the term
  1 27 "supervision" does not require the personal presence of the
  1 28 supervising physician at the place where medical services are
  1 29 rendered, except as otherwise required by law.
  1 30 LSB 1065XS 82
  1 31 jr:nh/je/5