The Board proposes the development of a rule amendment to remove language which prohibits physician assistants from performing certain delegated tasks.

 

DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH

Board of Medicine

RULE NO.:RULE TITLE:

64B8-30.012Physician Assistant Performance

PURPOSE AND EFFECT: The Board proposes the development of a rule amendment to remove language which prohibits physician assistants from performing certain delegated tasks.

SUBJECT AREA TO BE ADDRESSED: The removal of language which prohibits physician assistants from performing certain delegated tasks.

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY: 458.309, 458.347(4)(a), (13) FS.

LAW IMPLEMENTED: 458.347(2), (3), (4), (13) FS.

A RULE DEVELOPMENT WORKSHOP WILL BE HELD AT THE DATE, TIME AND PLACE SHOWN BELOW:

DATE AND TIME: Thursday, April 7, 2016, 1:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as can be heard

PLACE: Hilton Orlando/Altamonte Springs, 350 Northlake Boulevard, Altamonte Springs, Florida 32701

THE PERSON TO BE CONTACTED REGARDING THE PROPOSED RULE DEVELOPMENT AND A COPY OF THE PRELIMINARY DRAFT, IF AVAILABLE, IS: Adrienne Rodgers, Interim 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:

 

64B8-30.012 Physician Assistant Performance.

(1) A supervising physician shall delegate only tasks and procedures to the physician assistant which are within the supervising physician’s scope of practice. The physician assistant may work in any setting that is within the scope of practice of the supervising physician’s practice. The supervising physician’s scope of practice shall be defined for the purpose of this section as “those tasks and procedures which the supervising physician is qualified by training or experience to perform.”

(2) The decision to permit the physician assistant to perform a task or procedure under direct or indirect supervision is made by the supervising physician based on reasonable medical judgment regarding the probability of morbidity and mortality to the patient. Furthermore, the supervising physician must be certain that the physician assistant is knowledgeable and skilled in performing the tasks and procedures assigned.

(a) The following duties are not permitted to be delegated at all, except where expressly authorized by statute:

1. Prescribing, dispensing, or compounding medicinal drugs.

2. Final Diagnosis.

(b) The following duties are not permitted to be performed under indirect supervision:

1. Routine insertion of chest tubes and removal of pacer wires or left atrial monitoring lines.

2. Performance of cardiac stress testing.

3. Routine insertion of central venous catheters.

4. Injection of intrathecal medication without prior approval of the supervising physician.

5. Interpretation of laboratory tests, X-ray studies and EKG’s without the supervising physician interpretation and final review.

6. Administration of general, spinal, and epidural anesthetics; this may be performed under direct supervision only by physician assistants who graduated from Board-approved programs for the education of anesthesiology assistants.

(3) All tasks and procedures performed by the physician assistant must be documented in the appropriate medical record.

(4) In a medical emergency the physician assistant will act in accordance with his or her training and knowledge to maintain life support until a licensed physician assumes responsibility for the patient.

Rulemaking Authority 458.309, 458.347(4)(a), (13) FS. Law Implemented 458.347(2), (3), (4), (13) FS. History–New 5-13-87, Amended 7-7-87, 11-15-88, 9-15-92, Formerly 21M-17.012, Amended 11-4-93, Formerly 61F6-17.012, 59R-30.012, Amended 10-13-98, 3-28-99, 11-17-03, 2-2-10.