State

In 2015, PAs in Illinois were facing major challenges. The profession was losing ground in the marketplace and would soon face the sunset of the law authorizing PA practice in the entire state. Concerned about the direction that their profession was heading, the Illinois Academy of PAs decided to undertake a major overhaul of their organization and advocacy efforts.

The District of Columbia’s (D.C.) Board of Medicine (BoMed) recently modernized and streamlined PA practice.   In a post on its website, BoMed announced that it will no longer issue letters “approving” delegation agreements. Effective immediately, receipt of delegation agreements will simply be confirmed via email.

On May 8, 2018, Gov. Larry Hogan signed HB 591/SB 549 into law. The legislation, which becomes effective on Oct. 1, 2018, was a priority bill for the Maryland Academy of PAs (MAPA) and authorizes PAs to prepare and dispense medications they can already prescribe within their scope of practice. 

Tennessee PAs are celebrating the enactment of SB 1515 (companion bill HB 2239) which was signed by Gov. Bill Haslam on April 2. The legislation changes the terminology used to describe the manner in which PAs and physicians practice together from "supervision" to "collaboration."

PA Khou Xiong’s patients experienced an interruption in care when the health center she works for unexpectedly lost its physician medical director. Read how modernizing PA-practice laws could improve the status quo for PA Xiong and PAs in similar situations across the country.

PAs who are combatting the nation’s opioid epidemic will have more flexibility in two states due to favorable decisions made by their licensing boards.

Representatives from PAs for Puerto Rico and AAPA’s Advocacy team recently met with the office of Puerto Rico’s new Congresswoman Jenniffer Gonzalez Colon (designated as Resident Commissioner). They discussed Puerto Rico’s healthcare crisis and why authorizing PAs to practice on the island is part of the solution.

West Virginia Governor Jim Justice signed S.B. 1014 into law today. The new legislation, which becomes effective on September 7, 2017, allows PAs to work with “collaborating” rather than “supervising” physicians, expands PA prescriptive authority for Schedule III medications to 30 days from the current restriction of 72 hours, allows PAs to be reimbursed at the same rate as physicians and APRNs by prohibiting discrimination by insurance plans, adds an additional PA to the medical board, and authorizes PAs to sign an extensive list of forms that previously had to be signed by a physician, including death certificates.

PAs in Mississippi celebrated key improvements to their PA rules this spring when new regulations were adopted by the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure (MSBML). MSBML, the Mississippi State Medical Association, and the Mississippi Academy of PAs (MAPA), worked together to promote the revision. AAPA staff supported MAPA’s advocacy by preparing draft changes, position statements, and comprehensive research.