Chapter 347
AN ACT
SB 678
Relating to supervision of physician
assistants; amending ORS 677.495 and 677.510.
Be It Enacted by the People of
the State of
SECTION 1. ORS 677.495 is amended to read:
677.495. As used in ORS
677.495 to 677.545, unless the context requires otherwise:
(1) “Agent” means a
physician designated by the supervising physician of a physician assistant who
supervises the medical services of the physician assistant for a predetermined
period of time.
[(1)] (2) “Committee” means the Physician Assistant Committee
created in ORS 677.540.
[(2)] (3) “Physician assistant” means a person who is
licensed in accordance with ORS 677.505 to 677.525.
[(3)] (4) “Supervision” means the routine direction and
regular review by the supervising physician, as determined to be appropriate by
the Board of Medical Examiners for the State of Oregon, of the medical services
provided by the physician assistant. The practice description shall provide for
the maintenance of direct, verbal communication either in person or by means
described in ORS 677.515 (4)(a) but the description shall not require the
physical presence at all times of the supervising physician.
SECTION 2. ORS 677.510 is amended to read:
677.510. (1) A person
licensed to practice medicine under this chapter shall not use the services of
a physician assistant without the prior approval of the Board of Medical
Examiners. The application shall state the name of the physician assistant,
describe the manner and extent to which the physician assistant’s services
would be used and supervised, state the education, training and experience of
the physician assistant and provide such other information in such a form as
the board may require.
(2) The board may
approve or reject an application, or it may modify the proposed use of the
services of the physician assistant and approve the application as modified.
When it appears to the board that the services of a physician assistant are
being used in a manner inconsistent with the approval granted,
the board may withdraw its approval. If a hearing is requested by the physician
or the physician assistant upon the rejection of an application, or upon the
withdrawal of an approval, a hearing shall be conducted in accordance with ORS 677.200.
(3)(a) The
supervising physician may have a different specialty from the physician
assistant. A physician assistant may be supervised by no more than four
physicians. A physician may supervise four physician assistants. A
supervising physician may designate a physician to serve as the agent of the
supervising physician for a predetermined period of time.
(b) The board may review and approve
applications from physicians serving federally designated underserved
populations, or physicians in federally designated health professional shortage
areas, federally designated medically underserved areas or areas designated as
medically disadvantaged and in need of primary health care providers by the
Director of Human Services or the Office of Rural Health to supervise more than
four physician assistants, and applications from physician assistants to be
supervised by more than four physicians. A physician assistant may render
services in an emergency room and other hospital settings, a nursing home, a
corrections institution and any site included in the practice description.
(4) A licensed physician
assistant may make application to the board for emergency drug dispensing
authority. The board shall consider the criteria adopted by the Physician
Assistant Committee under ORS 677.545 (4) in reviewing the application. Such
emergency dispensing shall be of drugs prepared or prepackaged by a licensed
pharmacist, manufacturing drug outlet or wholesale drug outlet authorized to do
so under ORS chapter 689.
(5) A physician
assistant for whom an application under subsection (1) of this section has been
approved by the board on or after January 2, 2006, shall submit to the board,
within 24 months after the approval, documentation of completion of:
(a) A pain management
education program approved by the board and developed in conjunction with the
Pain Management Commission established under ORS 409.500; or
(b) An equivalent pain
management education program, as determined by the board.
Approved by the Governor June 11, 2007
Filed in the office of Secretary of State June 13, 2007
Effective date January 1, 2008
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