Back to All NewsSecond Bill Seeks to Bring Collaborative Practice to PAs in Illinois
Posted By American Med Spa Association, Tuesday, March 16, 2021
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Update: May 06, 2022 Became law.
A new bill in Illinois would change the current supervisory relationship between physician assistants (PAs) and physicians to a collaborative one. Senate Bill 145 (SB 145) is sponsored by senators Laura Murphy and Terri Bryant; you can read the complete text of the bill here. This bill appears to be the Senate version of House Bill 1826 (HB 1826), which we previously covered. HB 1826 was assigned to the House Health Care Licenses Committee last week. SB 145 has initially been assigned to the Senate Committee Licensed Activities for further deliberation.
Currently, PAs in Illnois must practice under a written supervision agreement with a physician. Their scope of practice and prescriptive authority are defined in these written agreements. SB 145 would change this relationship to one of collaboration. It would require that PAs enter into written collaboration agreements with a physician who shares their area of practice. To comply with SB 145, the following would need to be part of the agreement:
Under this new bill, PAs would be professionally and legally responsible for the care they provide. SB 145 would also fundamentally change PA practice from providing services to a physician to practicing medicine in collaboration with a physician. PAs would also be able to prescribe medications and controlled substances, including Schedule II drugs; as of now, Schedule II substances can only be prescribed by a PA if the collaborating physician also routinely employs them, and they may not be administered by injection. SB 145 would also call for the establishment on a Physician Assistant Medical Licensing Board to oversee PA practices.
This bill would not give practice independence, as the collaborative agreement is still present. It would, however, vastly simplify the paperwork needed to practice and provide substantial freedom to the PA. This would be a step forward in the national trend to reduce practice restrictions on PAs and other advanced practitioners.
We will be monitoring SB 145 as it advances though the Illinois legislative process this year.
A new bill in Illinois would change the current supervisory relationship between physician assistants (PAs) and physicians to a collaborative one. Senate Bill 145 (SB 145) is sponsored by senators Laura Murphy and Terri Bryant; you can read the complete text of the bill here. This bill appears to be the Senate version of House Bill 1826 (HB 1826), which we previously covered. HB 1826 was assigned to the House Health Care Licenses Committee last week. SB 145 has initially been assigned to the Senate Committee Licensed Activities for further deliberation.
Currently, PAs in Illnois must practice under a written supervision agreement with a physician. Their scope of practice and prescriptive authority are defined in these written agreements. SB 145 would change this relationship to one of collaboration. It would require that PAs enter into written collaboration agreements with a physician who shares their area of practice. To comply with SB 145, the following would need to be part of the agreement:
Under this new bill, PAs would be professionally and legally responsible for the care they provide. SB 145 would also fundamentally change PA practice from providing services to a physician to practicing medicine in collaboration with a physician. PAs would also be able to prescribe medications and controlled substances, including Schedule II drugs; as of now, Schedule II substances can only be prescribed by a PA if the collaborating physician also routinely employs them, and they may not be administered by injection. SB 145 would also call for the establishment on a Physician Assistant Medical Licensing Board to oversee PA practices.
This bill would not give practice independence, as the collaborative agreement is still present. It would, however, vastly simplify the paperwork needed to practice and provide substantial freedom to the PA. This would be a step forward in the national trend to reduce practice restrictions on PAs and other advanced practitioners.
We will be monitoring SB 145 as it advances though the Illinois legislative process this year.
