2002 Minnesota Statutes

     147A.09 Scope of practice, delegation. 

    Subdivision 1.    Scope of practice.  Physician 
 assistants shall practice medicine only with physician 
 supervision.  Physician assistants may perform those duties and 
 responsibilities as delegated in the physician-physician 
 assistant agreement and delegation forms maintained at the 
 address of record by the supervising physician and physician 
 assistant, including the prescribing, administering, and 
 dispensing of medical devices and drugs, excluding anesthetics, 
 other than local anesthetics, injected in connection with an 
 operating room procedure, inhaled anesthesia and spinal 
 anesthesia. 

    Patient service must be limited to: 

    (1) services within the training and experience of the 
 physician assistant; 

    (2) services customary to the practice of the supervising 
 physician; 

    (3) services delegated by the supervising physician; and 

    (4) services within the parameters of the laws, rules, and 
 standards of the facilities in which the physician assistant 
 practices. 

    Nothing in this chapter authorizes physician assistants to 
 perform duties regulated by the boards listed in section 214.01, 
 subdivision 2, other than the board of medical practice, and 
 except as provided in this section. 

    Subd. 2.    Delegation.  Patient services may include, 
 but are not limited to, the following, as delegated by the 
 supervising physician and authorized in the agreement: 

    (1) taking patient histories and developing medical status 
 reports; 

    (2) performing physical examinations; 

    (3) interpreting and evaluating patient data; 

    (4) ordering or performing diagnostic procedures; 

    (5) ordering or performing therapeutic procedures; 

    (6) providing instructions regarding patient care, disease 
 prevention, and health promotion; 

    (7) assisting the supervising physician in patient care in 
 the home and in health care facilities; 

    (8) creating and maintaining appropriate patient records; 

    (9) transmitting or executing specific orders at the 
 direction of the supervising physician; 

    (10) prescribing, administering, and dispensing legend 
 drugs and medical devices if this function has been delegated by 
 the supervising physician pursuant to and subject to the 
 limitations of section 147.34 and chapter 151.  Physician 
 assistants who have been delegated the authority to prescribe 
 controlled substances shall maintain a separate addendum to the 
 delegation form which lists all schedules and categories of 
 controlled substances which the physician assistant has the 
 authority to prescribe.  This addendum shall be maintained with 
 the physician-physician assistant agreement, and the delegation 
 form at the address of record; 

    (11) for physician assistants not delegated prescribing 
 authority, administering legend drugs and medical devices 
 following prospective review for each patient by and upon 
 direction of the supervising physician; 

    (12) functioning as an emergency medical technician with 
 permission of the ambulance service and in compliance with 
 section 144E.127, and ambulance service rules adopted by the 
 commissioner of health; and 

    (13) initiating evaluation and treatment procedures 
 essential to providing an appropriate response to emergency 
 situations. 

    Orders of physician assistants shall be considered the 
 orders of their supervising physicians in all practice-related 
 activities, including, but not limited to, the ordering of 
 diagnostic, therapeutic, and other medical services. 

    HIST: 1995 c 205 art 1 s 9; 1997 c 199 s 14; 1999 c 245 art 9 
 s 65