La. Admin. Code tit. 46 § XLV-4505

Current through Register Vol. 50, No. 9, September 20, 2024

Section XLV-4505 - Services Performed by Physician Assistants

A. The practice of a physician assistant shall include the performance of medical services that are delegated by the supervising physician and are within the scope of the physician assistant's education, training, and licensure. A physician assistant is considered to be and is deemed the agent of his supervising physician in the performance of all practice-related activities, including but not limited to assisting in surgery and ordering and interpretation of diagnostic and other medical services with appropriate supervision provided. The level and method of supervision shall be at the supervising physician and physician assistant level, shall be documented in clinical practice guidelines, reviewed annually and shall reflect the acuity of patient care and the nature of a procedure.

B. In accordance with a written clinical practice guideline or protocol medical services rendered by a physician assistant may include: screening patients to determine need for medical attention; eliciting patient histories; reviewing patient records to determine health status; performing physical examinations; recording pertinent patient data; performing developmental screening examinations on children; making preliminary decisions regarding data gathering and appropriate management and treatment of patients being seen for initial evaluation of a problem or follow-up evaluation of a previously diagnosed and stabilized condition; making appropriate referrals; preparing patient summaries; requesting initial laboratory studies; collecting specimens for blood, urine and stool analyses; performing urine analyses, blood counts and other laboratory procedures; identifying normal and abnormal findings on history, physical examinations and laboratory studies; initiating appropriate evaluation and emergency management for emergency situations such as cardiac arrest, respiratory distress, burns and hemorrhage; performing clinical procedures such as venipuncture, intradermal testing, electrocardiography, care and suturing of wounds and lacerations, casting and splinting, control of external hemorrhage, application of dressings and bandages, administration of medications, intravenous fluids, and transfusion of blood or blood components, removal of superficial foreign bodies, cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, audiometry screening, visual screening, aseptic and isolation techniques; providing counseling and instruction regarding common patient problems; monitoring the effectiveness of therapeutic intervention; assisting in surgery; signing for receipt of medical supplies or devices that are delivered to the supervising physician or supervising physician group; and, to the extent delegated by the supervising physician, prescribing legend drugs and controlled substances listed in R.S. 40:964 as schedule II, III, IV and V substances and prescribing medical devices. A physician assistant may inject local anesthetic agents subcutaneously, including digital blocks or apply topical anesthetic agents when delegated to so by a supervising physician. This list is illustrative only, and does not constitute the limits or parameters of the physician assistant's practice.

C. A physician assistant may prescribe, order and administer drugs to the extent delegated by the SP, except as provided pursuant to R.S. 37:930 relative to anesthetics. Drugs which may be prescribed, ordered, and administered by a PA are those listed in schedules II, III, IV and V of R.S. 40:964 and legend drugs.

D. The activities listed in this Section may be performed in any setting authorized by the supervising physician including but not limited to clinics, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, patient homes, nursing homes, other institutional settings, and health manpower shortage areas.

E. A physician assistant shall not:

1. practice without supervision, as defined by §1503, except in life-threatening emergencies;

2. complete and issue prescription blanks previously signed by a physician;

3. except to the extent delegated by a supervising physician, issue prescriptions for any medication;

4. act as or engage in the functions of a physician assistant other than on the direction and under the direction and supervision of his supervising physician at the location or locations specified in physician assistant's notice of practice location to the board, except in the following situations:

a. if the physician assistant is acting as assistant in life-threatening emergencies and in situations such as man-made and natural disaster or a physician emergency relief efforts;

b. if the physician assistant is volunteering his services to a non-profit charitable organization, receives no compensation for such services, and is performing such services under the supervision and in the presence of a licensed physician;

5. act as or engage in the functions of a physician assistant when the supervising physician and the physician assistant do not have the capability to be in contact with each other by telephone or other telecommunication device;

6. identify himself, hold himself out to the public, or permit any other person to identify him, as "doctor," "medical doctor," "doctor of medicine" or "physician" or render any service to a patient unless the physician assistant has clearly identified himself as a physician assistant by any method reasonably calculated to advise the patient that the physician assistant is not a physician licensed to practice medicine; or

7. administer local anesthetics perineurally, pericurally, epidurally, intrathecally, or intravenously unless such physician assistant is a certified registered nurse anesthetist and meets the requirements in R.S. 37:930.

La. Admin. Code tit. 46, § XLV-4505

Promulgated by the Department of Health and Human Resources, Board of Medical Examiners, LR 4:111 (April 1978), amended by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Medical Examiners, LR 17:1105 (November 1991), LR 22:204 (March 1996), LR 25:32 (January 1999), LR 31:78 (January 2005), Amended by the Department of Health and Hospitals, Board of Medical Examiners, LR 41925 (5/1/2015), Amended by the Department of Health, Board of Medical Examiners, LR 431177 (6/1/2017).

AUTHORITY NOTE: Promulgated in accordance with R.S. 37:1270(B)(6), 37:1360.23(D) and (F), and 37:1360.31(B)(8).