32-2533

32-2533. Supervising physician; supervising physician's agent; responsibilities

(L02, Ch. 277, sec. 16. Eff. until 1/1/11)

A. The supervising physician is responsible for all aspects of the performance of a physician assistant, whether or not the supervising physician actually pays the physician assistant a salary. The supervising physician is responsible for supervising the physician assistant and ensuring that the health care tasks performed by a physician assistant are within the physician assistant's scope of training and experience and have been properly delegated by the supervising physician.

B. A supervising physician shall not supervise more than two physician assistants who work the same hours at the same employment location.

C. A supervising physician may designate a supervising physician's agent to provide consultation and supervise a physician assistant when the supervising physician is not immediately available. The supervising physician remains responsible for the acts of a physician assistant when the physician assistant is supervised by a supervising physician's agent.

D. A supervising physician shall develop a system for recordation and review of all instances in which the physician assistant prescribes fourteen day prescriptions of schedule II or schedule III controlled substances. The board shall approve this system.

E. In order to act as a supervising physician or a supervising physician's agent, a physician shall:

1. Complete an application as prescribed by the board.

2. Hold a license pursuant to chapter 13 or 17 of this title and not hold a license under probation, restriction or suspension unrelated to rehabilitation.

3. Submit a statement that the supervising physician or supervising physician's agent is familiar with the statutes and rules regarding the performance of health care tasks of physician assistants and accepts responsibility for supervising the physician assistant.

F. A physician who violates the provisions of this chapter shall not serve as a supervising physician or supervising physician's agent.

G. The supervising physician's agent is responsible for the acts of a physician assistant in the absence of the supervising physician if the board approves. The board considers the supervising physician's agent's signature on a physician assistant's current notification of supervision to be acknowledgement by the supervising physician's agent that the agent understands and is familiar with the physician assistant's approved health care tasks.

H. A supervising physician or supervising physician's agent shall not delegate to the physician assistant any health care task that the supervising physician or supervising physician's agent does not have training or experience in and does not perform.