Bill Name: Senate Bill 3421 (SB 3421)

Primary Sponsor: Sen. Javier Cervantes

Status: 02/17/2025 referred to Licensed Activities Committee

AmSpa’s Take: Allowing PAs to practice to the level of their education and skill, without the need to maintain cumbersome chart review and meeting requirements, frees up time and resources that can be better spent seeing patients, improving their skills and developing their practices. Independence also allows these practitioners to innovate in new practice areas through owning their own practices. 

Analysis: Currently, Illinois physician assistants (PAs) practice according to a written collaboration agreement with a physician. This agreement also authorizes their ability to prescribe medications. A collaborative agreement must be maintained throughout the PA’s career. Under SB 3421, PAs would no longer need to maintain a collaboration agreement, called “optimal practice,” once they met certain requirements.

Under SB 3421, a PA who completes 2,000 hours of clinical experience in the specific field in which the PA intends to practice in collaboration with a physician and completes 250 hours of continuing medical education that is AMA PRA Category 1 or equivalent can apply for optimal practice. Under optimal practice, the PA no longer needs to practice under a collaboration agreement. Prescriptive authority is also now granted as part of the PA’s license and not through the collaborative agreement. If the PA wants to prescribe controlled substances, the PA must obtain a “mid-level practitioner controlled substances license.” While this makes PAs effectively independent practitioners, they are still prohibited from owning a professional corporation or professional limited liability company for the purposes of practicing medicine.

The majority of states allow nurse practitioners to practice independently. More recently, many states have been giving more freedom and autonomy to PAs ranging from reduced oversight requirements all the way to full independence. SB 3421 would solidly go along with this trend in providing a path to independence for PAs. If you would like additional information, to read the language of the bill or to contact the sponsors or committee, you can find the information you need through this link: SB 3421.