HBA-TBM S.B. 1264 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisS.B. 1264 By: Haywood Public Health 5/1/2001 Engrossed 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. Senate Bill 1264 specifies that physician assistants are 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 Senate Bill 1264 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.