The Board proposes the development of rule amendments to address requirements and credit for continuing medical education (CME) with regard to physician assistants.

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH
Board of Medicine

RULE NO: RULE TITLE
64B8-30.005: Physician Assistant Licensure Renewal and Reactivation
PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The Board proposes the development of rule amendments to address requirements and credit for continuing medical education (CME) with regard to physician assistants.
SUBJECT AREA TO BE ADDRESSED: Requirements for continuing medical education.
SPECIFIC AUTHORITY: 456.013, 456.031(1)(a), 456.033(1), 458.309, 458.347 FS.
LAW IMPLEMENTED: 456.013, 456.031(1), 456.033, 456.036, 458.347 FS.
IF REQUESTED IN WRITING AND NOT DEEMED UNNECESSARY BY THE AGENCY HEAD, A RULE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP WILL BE NOTICED IN THE NEXT AVAILABLE FLORIDA ADMINISTRATIVE WEEKLY.
THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT AND A COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT, IF AVAILABLE, IS: Larry McPherson, Jr., Executive Director, Board of Medicine/MQA, 4052 Bald Cypress Way, Bin #C03, Tallahassee, Florida 32399-3253

THE PRELIMINARY TEXT OF THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT IS:

64B8-30.005 Physician Assistant Licensure Renewal and Reactivation.

(1) No change.

(2) Requirements for Renewal.

(a)  through (b) No change.

(c) Submission of a written statement attesting to completion of 100 hours of Continuing Medical Education in the previous two (2) years or documentation that the licensee is certified at the time of renewal by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. A minimum of 50 hours must be Category I Continuing Medical Education approved by the American Academy of Physician Assistants, the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic Association Council on Continuing Medical Education, or the American Academy of Family Physicians. The remaining 50 hours may be Category II Continuing Medical Education. If  not NCCPA certified, requested by the Council, the Physician Assistant must submit a copy of a current certificate issued by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants or must be able to produce evidence of the 100 hours of reported CME for the relevant biennium.

(d) through (f) No change.

(3)(a) For purposes of this rule, risk management means the identification, investigation, analysis, and evaluation of risks and the selection of the most advantageous method of correcting, reducing or eliminating identifiable risks.

(b) Five hours of continuing medical education in the subject area of risk management may be obtained by attending one full day or eight (8) hours, whichever is more, of disciplinary hearings at a regular meeting of the Board of Medicine in compliance with the following:

1. The licensee must sign in with the Executive Director of the Board before the meeting day begins.

2. The licensee must remain in continuous attendance.

3. The licensee must sign out with the Executive Director of the Board at the end of the meeting day or at such other earlier time as affirmatively authorized by the Board. A licensee may receive CME credit in risk management for attending the disciplinary portion of a Board meeting only if he or she is attending on that date solely for that purpose; he or she may not receive such credit if appearing at the Board meeting for another purpose. A member of the Board of Medicine may obtain 10 hours of continuing medical education per biennium in the subject area of risk management for attendance at the disciplinary portion of Board meetings.

(4) Up to 5 hours, per biennium, of continuing education credit may be fulfilled by performing pro bono medical services, for an entity serving the indigent, underserved populations or in areas of critical need within the state where the licensee practices. The standard for determining indigency shall be low-income (no greater than 150% of the federal poverty level) or uninsured persons. Credit shall be given on an hour per hour basis.

(a) The Board approves for credit under this rule, the following entities:

1. The Department of Health;

2. Community and Migrant Health Centers funded under section 330 of the United States Public Health Service Act; and

3. Volunteer Health Care provider programs contracted to provide uncompensated care under the provisions of Section 766.1115, F.S., with the Department of Health.

(b) For services provided to an entity not specified under this rule, a licensee must apply for prior approval in order to receive credit. In the application for approval, licensees shall disclose the type, nature and extent of services to be rendered, the facility where the services will be rendered, the number of patients expected to be served, and a statement indicating that the patients to be served are indigent. If the licensee intends to provide services in underserved or critical need areas, the application shall provide a brief explanation as to those facts.

(c) Unless otherwise provided through Board order, no licensee who is subject to a disciplinary action that requires additional continuing education as a penalty, shall be permitted to use pro-bono medical services as a method of meeting the additional continuing education requirements.

(5) Upon request by the Board or Department, the licensee must submit satisfactory documentation of compliance with the requirements set forth above.

(3) through (10) renumbered (6) through (13) No change.

Specific Authority 456.013, 456.031(1)(a), 456.033(1), 458.309, 458.347 FS. Law Implemented 456.013, 456.031(1), 456.033, 456.036, 458.347 FS. History–New 5-13-87, Amended 1-9-92, Formerly 21M-17.0035, Amended 9-21-93, Formerly 61F6-17.0035, Amended 11-30-94, Formerly 59R-30.005, Amended 6-7-98, 3-3-02, 10-12-03, 7-27-04, 10-19-04, 2-25-07, 11-11-07,_________.