Senate and House bills introduced in Illinois seek to change the relationship between physician assistants (PA) and physicians. The House bill, House Bill 4692 (HB 4692), is primarily sponsored by Representative Kathleen Willis; you can review the text of the bill in full here. HB 4692 is currently assigned to the Health Care Licenses Committee awaiting further consideration. In the Senate, a version of the bill sponsored by Senator Laura Murphy is known as Senate Bill 2758 (SB 2758); you can review the text of the bill in full here. It is with the Senate Committee on Licensed Activities.
HB 4692 would allow PAs to practice in collaboration with a physician without a written agreement. Currently, PAs must have a written collaborative agreement with a physician that determines their delegated scope of practice and ability to prescribe. If passed, HB 4692 would allow PAs to practice without a written agreement with a physician. The PA’s scope of practice would be determined by their education, training and experience, but still must be consistent with the collaborating physician’s scope of practice. Collaboration is for the purpose of facilitating medical consultation and does not require that the PA have an employment relationship with the physician. The collaboration arrangement must promote the exercise of professional judgment and allow for communication with the physician, either in person or through telecommunication, to address the needs of the patient. Under HB 4692, the PA would be able to provide any medical service that is within their skill and for which they have sufficient education and training.
The national trend has been moving toward allowing PAs more practice freedom, either by moving to a collaborative relationship with physicians or doing away with strict requirements in written agreements. HB 4692 is right in line with that trend.
We will be monitoring HB 4692 and SB 2758 as they work their way through the legislative process.