HBA-CCH H.B. 2210 77(R)    BILL ANALYSIS


Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2210
By: Farabee
Public Health
3/8/2001
Introduced



BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE 

Current law implies, but does not explicitly stipulate that a physician
assistant is the medical agent of a supervising physician.  This current
ambiguity creates administrative barriers by causing ill or injured
patients who have been evaluated by a physician assistant to wait for a
physician to sign the relevant medical documents.  House Bill 2210 defines
physician assistants as the medical agents of a supervising physician, thus
allowing them to perform the administrative work necessary to complete an
evaluation of a patient.  

RULEMAKING AUTHORITY

It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does
not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state
officer, department, agency, or institution. 

ANALYSIS

House Bill 2210 amends the Occupations Code to provide that a physician
assistant is the agent of a supervising physician for any medical service
delegated by that physician that is within the physician assistant's
established scope of practice, and that is delineated by protocols,
practice guidelines, or practice directives established by the supervising
physician.     

EFFECTIVE DATE

September 1, 2001.