1.1                          A bill for an act 
  1.2             relating to physician assistants; modifying the 
  1.3             supervisory requirement for physician assistants 
  1.4             responding to disaster situations; clarifying coverage 
  1.5             under medical assistance for physician services 
  1.6             performed by a physician assistant; modifying the 
  1.7             physician assistant advisory council; amending 
  1.8             Minnesota Statutes 1998, sections 147A.27, subdivision 
  1.9             1; and 256B.0625, by adding a subdivision; Minnesota 
  1.10            Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 147A.23. 
  1.11  BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MINNESOTA: 
  1.12     Section 1.  Minnesota Statutes 1999 Supplement, section 
  1.13  147A.23, is amended to read: 
  1.14     147A.23 [RESPONDING TO DISASTER SITUATIONS.] 
  1.15     (a) A registered physician assistant or a physician 
  1.16  assistant duly licensed or credentialed in a United States 
  1.17  jurisdiction who is responding to a need for medical care 
  1.18  created by a state or local disaster may render such care as the 
  1.19  physician assistant is able to provide, under the physician 
  1.20  assistant's license, registration, or credential, without the 
  1.21  need of a physician and physician assistant agreement as 
  1.22  required under section 147A.20.  Physician supervision, as 
  1.23  required under section 147A.09, must be provided under the 
  1.24  direction of an emergency medical director in accordance with 
  1.25  rules adopted by the emergency medical services regulatory board 
  1.26  under section 144E.16 a physician licensed under chapter 147 who 
  1.27  is involved with the disaster response.  The physician assistant 
  1.28  must establish a temporary supervisory agreement with an 
  2.1   emergency medical director the physician providing supervision 
  2.2   before rendering care. 
  2.3      (b) The physician who provides supervision to a physician 
  2.4   assistant while the physician assistant is rendering care in a 
  2.5   disaster in accordance with this section may do so without 
  2.6   meeting the requirements of section 147A.20. 
  2.7      (c) The supervising physician who otherwise provides 
  2.8   supervision to a physician assistant under a physician and 
  2.9   physician assistant agreement described in section 147A.20 shall 
  2.10  not be held medically responsible for the care rendered by a 
  2.11  physician assistant pursuant to paragraph (a).  Services 
  2.12  provided by a physician assistant under paragraph (a) shall be 
  2.13  considered outside the scope of the relationship between the 
  2.14  supervising physician and the physician assistant. 
  2.15     Sec. 2.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 147A.27, 
  2.16  subdivision 1, is amended to read: 
  2.17     Subdivision 1.  [MEMBERSHIP.] (a) The physician assistant 
  2.18  advisory council is created and is composed of seven persons 
  2.19  appointed by the board.  The seven persons must include: 
  2.20     (1) two public members, as defined in section 214.02; 
  2.21     (2) three physician assistants registered under this 
  2.22  chapter; and 
  2.23     (3) two licensed physicians with experience supervising 
  2.24  physician assistants. 
  2.25     (b) No member shall serve more than a total of two terms.  
  2.26  If a member is appointed for a partial term and serves more than 
  2.27  half of that term it shall be considered a full term.  Members 
  2.28  serving on the council as of July 1, 2000, shall be allowed to 
  2.29  complete their current terms. 
  2.30     Sec. 3.  Minnesota Statutes 1998, section 256B.0625, is 
  2.31  amended by adding a subdivision to read: 
  2.32     Subd. 28a.  [REGISTERED PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT 
  2.33  SERVICES.] Medical assistance covers services performed by a 
  2.34  registered physician assistant if the service is otherwise 
  2.35  covered under this chapter as a physician service and if the 
  2.36  service is within the scope of practice of a registered 
  3.1   physician assistant as defined in section 147A.09.