Back to All NewsIdaho PAs Need to Collaborate Now
Posted By American Med Spa Association, Wednesday, July 7, 2021
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Starting July 1, 2021, all Idaho physician assistants (PAs) who are not employed in a facility with a credentialing system must execute a collaborative practice agreement with a physician. These collaborative practice agreements replace the former “supervision agreements,” which are now expired. The Idaho State Board of Medicine has provided a helpful FAQ to address many of these changes, which is available here and here.
These changes are part of a broader expansion of PA practice that was passed earlier this year in Senate Bill 1093. Under the new rules, PAs are required to consult or collaborate on patient care based on:
Alternatively, PAs who practice in licensed health care facilities, facilities with a credentialing system or physician-owned facilities can collaborate with other members of the health care team based on the facility bylaws or procedures or in a written agreement. In other practice instances, including in a PA-owned practice, they would need to maintain the written agreement with a physician.
The collaborative agreements must also still identify what services and procedures the PA may perform. PAs may only perform medical services that are part of the collaborating physician’s scope of practice. There is no limit to the number of physicians a PA may choose to collaborate with. Likewise, physicians are not limited to the number of PAs with whom they collaborate. PAs are directly responsible for the care they provide. A PA’s prescriptive authority is now granted by their license rather than the supervising physician. A U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency number is still needed, and the collaborative practice agreements can still control the scope of prescribing.
As the new collaborative practice agreements are more flexible than the older supervision agreements, they should be easier to set up and maintain going forward. If you are a PA practicing in Idaho, you should review these changes and enter a collaborative practice agreement as soon as possible.
These changes are part of a broader expansion of PA practice that was passed earlier this year in Senate Bill 1093. Under the new rules, PAs are required to consult or collaborate on patient care based on:
Alternatively, PAs who practice in licensed health care facilities, facilities with a credentialing system or physician-owned facilities can collaborate with other members of the health care team based on the facility bylaws or procedures or in a written agreement. In other practice instances, including in a PA-owned practice, they would need to maintain the written agreement with a physician.
The collaborative agreements must also still identify what services and procedures the PA may perform. PAs may only perform medical services that are part of the collaborating physician’s scope of practice. There is no limit to the number of physicians a PA may choose to collaborate with. Likewise, physicians are not limited to the number of PAs with whom they collaborate. PAs are directly responsible for the care they provide. A PA’s prescriptive authority is now granted by their license rather than the supervising physician. A U.S. Drug Enforcement Agency number is still needed, and the collaborative practice agreements can still control the scope of prescribing.
As the new collaborative practice agreements are more flexible than the older supervision agreements, they should be easier to set up and maintain going forward. If you are a PA practicing in Idaho, you should review these changes and enter a collaborative practice agreement as soon as possible.
