Skip to main content Skip to office menu Skip to footer
Capital IconMinnesota Legislature

Office of the Revisor of Statutes

147A.01 DEFINITIONS.

Subdivision 1.Scope.

For the purpose of this chapter the terms defined in this section have the meanings given them.

Subd. 2.

[Repealed by amendment, 2009 c 159 s 14]

Subd. 3.Administer.

"Administer" means the delivery by a physician assistant authorized to prescribe legend drugs, a single dose of a legend drug, including controlled substances, to a patient by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or by any other immediate means, and the delivery by a physician assistant ordered by a physician a single dose of a legend drug by injection, inhalation, ingestion, or by any other immediate means.

Subd. 4.Agreement.

"Agreement" means the document described in section 147A.20.

Subd. 5.Alternate supervising physician.

"Alternate supervising physician" means a Minnesota licensed physician listed in the physician-physician assistant delegation agreement, or supplemental listing, who is responsible for supervising the physician assistant when the primary supervising physician is unavailable. The alternate supervising physician shall accept full medical responsibility for the performance, practice, and activities of the physician assistant while under the supervision of the alternate supervising physician.

Subd. 6.Board.

"Board" means the Board of Medical Practice or its designee.

Subd. 7.Controlled substances.

"Controlled substances" has the meaning given it in section 152.01, subdivision 4.

Subd. 8.

[Repealed by amendment, 2009 c 159 s 14]

Subd. 9.Diagnostic order.

"Diagnostic order" means a directive to perform a procedure or test, the purpose of which is to determine the cause and nature of a pathological condition or disease.

Subd. 10.Drug.

"Drug" has the meaning given it in section 151.01, subdivision 5, including controlled substances as defined in section 152.01, subdivision 4.

Subd. 11.Drug category.

"Drug category" means one of the categories listed on the physician-physician assistant delegation agreement.

Subd. 12.Inactive.

"Inactive" means a licensed physician assistant whose license has been placed on inactive status under section 147A.05.

Subd. 13.

[Repealed by amendment, 2009 c 159 s 14]

Subd. 14.Legend drug.

"Legend drug" has the meaning given it in section 151.01, subdivision 17.

Subd. 14a.Licensed.

"Licensed" means meeting the qualifications in section 147A.02 and being issued a license by the board.

Subd. 14b.Licensure.

"Licensure" means the process by which the board determines that an applicant has met the standards and qualifications in this chapter.

Subd. 15.

[Repealed by amendment, 2009 c 159 s 14]

Subd. 16.Medical device.

"Medical device" means durable medical equipment and assistive or rehabilitative appliances, objects, or products that are required to implement the overall plan of care for the patient and that are restricted by federal law to use upon prescription by a licensed practitioner.

Subd. 16a.Notice of intent to practice.

"Notice of intent to practice" means a document sent to the board by a licensed physician assistant that documents the adoption of a physician-physician assistant delegation agreement and provides the names, addresses, and information required by section 147A.20.

Subd. 17.Physician.

"Physician" means a person currently licensed in good standing as a physician or osteopath under chapter 147.

Subd. 17a.Physician-physician assistant delegation agreement.

"Physician-physician assistant delegation agreement" means the document prepared and signed by the physician and physician assistant affirming the supervisory relationship and defining the physician assistant scope of practice. Alternate supervising physicians must be identified on the delegation agreement or a supplemental listing with signed attestation that each shall accept full medical responsibility for the performance, practice, and activities of the physician assistant while under the supervision of the alternate supervising physician. The physician-physician assistant delegation agreement outlines the role of the physician assistant in the practice, describes the means of supervision, and specifies the categories of drugs, controlled substances, and medical devices that the supervising physician delegates to the physician assistant to prescribe. The physician-physician assistant delegation agreement must comply with the requirements of section 147A.20, be kept on file at the address of record, and be made available to the board or its representative upon request.

Subd. 18.Physician assistant or licensed physician assistant.

"Physician assistant" or "licensed physician assistant" means a person licensed pursuant to this chapter who meets the qualifications in section 147A.02.

Subd. 19.

[Repealed by amendment, 2009 c 159 s 14]

Subd. 20.Prescribe.

"Prescribe" means to direct, order, or designate by means of a prescription the preparation, use of, or manner of using a drug or medical device.

Subd. 21.Prescription.

"Prescription" means a signed written order, an oral order reduced to writing, or an electronic order meeting current and prevailing standards given by a physician assistant authorized to prescribe drugs for patients in the course of the physician assistant's practice, issued for an individual patient and containing the information required in the physician-physician assistant delegation agreement.

Subd. 22.

[Repealed by amendment, 2009 c 159 s 14]

Subd. 23.Supervising physician.

"Supervising physician" means a Minnesota licensed physician who accepts full medical responsibility for the performance, practice, and activities of a physician assistant under an agreement as described in section 147A.20. The supervising physician who completes and signs the delegation agreement may be referred to as the primary supervising physician. A supervising physician shall not supervise more than five full-time equivalent physician assistants simultaneously. With the approval of the board, or in a disaster or emergency situation pursuant to section 147A.23, a supervising physician may supervise more than five full-time equivalent physician assistants simultaneously.

Subd. 24.Supervision.

"Supervision" means overseeing the activities of, and accepting responsibility for, the medical services rendered by a physician assistant. The constant physical presence of the supervising physician is not required so long as the supervising physician and physician assistant are or can be easily in contact with one another by radio, telephone, or other telecommunication device. The scope and nature of the supervision shall be defined by the individual physician-physician assistant delegation agreement.

Subd. 25.Temporary license.

"Temporary license" means a license granted to a physician assistant who meets all of the qualifications for licensure but has not yet been approved for licensure at a meeting of the board.

Subd. 26.Therapeutic order.

"Therapeutic order" means an order given to another for the purpose of treating or curing a patient in the course of a physician assistant's practice. Therapeutic orders may be written or verbal, but do not include the prescribing of legend drugs or medical devices unless prescribing authority has been delegated within the physician-physician assistant delegation agreement.

Subd. 27.Verbal order.

"Verbal order" means an oral order given to another for the purpose of treating or curing a patient in the course of a physician assistant's practice. Verbal orders do not include the prescribing of legend drugs unless prescribing authority has been delegated within the physician-physician assistant delegation agreement.

Official Publication of the State of Minnesota
Revisor of Statutes