Title: Physician Assistants

Summary: Authorizes supervisory physician to delegate to licensed physician assistant authority to order medications for supervisory physician's patient during his or her care in a facility licensed under ch. 395, F.S.; provides that order is not a prescription; authorizes licensed physician assistant to order medication under direction of the supervisory physician.

Full Text:
An act relating to physician assistants; amending ss. 458.347 and 459.022, F.S.; authorizing a supervisory physician to delegate to a licensed physician assistant the authority to order medications for the supervisory physician's patient during the patient's care in a facility licensed under ch. 395, F.S.; providing that an order is not a prescription; authorizing a licensed physician assistant to order medication under the direction of the supervisory physician; providing an effective date. Be It Enacted by the Legislature of the State of Florida: Section 1. Paragraph (e) of subsection (4) of section 458.347, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (g) is added to that subsection, to read: 458.347 Physician assistants.-(4) PERFORMANCE OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS.-(e) A supervisory physician may delegate to a fully licensed physician assistant the authority to prescribe or dispense any medication use din the supervisory physician's practice unless such medication is listed on the formulary created pursuant to paragraph (f). A fully licensed physician assistant may only prescribe or dispense such medication under the following circumstances: 1. A phy sician assistant must clearly identify to the patient that he or she is a physician assistant. Furthermore, CS/HB 2013 the physician assistant must inform the patient that the patient has the right to see the physician prior to any prescription being prescribed or di spensed by the physician assistant. 2. The supervisory physician must notify the department of his or her intent to delegate, on a department-approved form, before delegating such authority and notify the department of any change in prescriptive privileg es of the physician assistant. Authority to dispense may be delegated only by a supervising physician who is registered as a dispensing practitioner in compliance with s. 465.0276. 3. The physician assistant must file with the department a signed affidav it that he or she has completed a minimum of 40 continuing medical education hours in the specialty practice in which the physician assistant has prescriptive privileges with each licensure renewal application. 4. The department may issue a prescriber nu mber to the physician assistant granting authority for the prescribing of medicinal drugs authorized within this paragraph upon completion of the foregoing requirements. The physician assistant shall not be required to independently register pursuant to s. 465.0276. 5. The prescription must be written in a form that complies with chapter and must contain, in addition to the supervisory physician's name, address, and telephone number, the physician assistant's prescriber number. Unless it is a drug or drug sample dispensed by the physician assistant, the prescription must be filled in a pharmacy permitted under chapter and must be dispensed in that pharmacy by a pharmacist licensed under chapter 465. The appearance of the CS/HB 2013 prescriber number creates a presumption that the physician assistant is authorized to prescribe the medicinal drug and the prescription is valid. 6. The physician assistant must note the prescription or dispensing of medication in the appropriate medical record. 7. This paragrap hdoes not prohibit a supervisory physician from delegating to a physician assistant the authority to order medication for a hospitalized patient of the supervisory physician. This paragraph does not apply to facilities licensed pursuant to chapter 395. (g) A supervisory physician may delegate to a licensed physician assistant the authority to order medications for the supervisory physician's patient during the patient's care in a facility licensed under chapter 395, notwithstanding any provision in chap ter or chapter that may prohibit such delegation. For the purpose of this paragraph, an order is not considered a prescription. A licensed physician assistant working in a facility that is licensed under chapter may order any medication under the direction of the supervisory physician. Section 2. Paragraph (e) of subsection (4) of section 459.022, Florida Statutes, is amended, and paragraph (f) is added to that subsection, to read: 459.022 Physician assistants.-(4) PERFORMANCE OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS.-(e) A supervisory physician may delegate to a fully CS/HB 2013 licensed physician assistant the authority to prescribe or dispense any medication used in the supervisory physician's practice unless such medication is listed on the formulary created pursuant to s. 458.347. A fully licensed physician assistant may only prescribe or dispense such medication under the following circumstances: 1. A physician assistant must clearly identify to the patient that she or he is a physician assistant. Furthermore, the physician assistant must inform the patient that the patient has the right to see the physician prior to any prescription being prescribed or dispensed by the physician assistant. 2. The supervisory physician must notify the department of her or his intent to delegate, on a department-approved form, before delegating such authority and notify the department of any change in prescriptive privileges of the physician assistant. Authority to dispense may be delegated only by a supervisory phys ician who is registered as a dispensing practitioner in compliance with s. 465.0276. 3. The physician assistant must file with the department a signed affidavit that she or he has completed a minimum of 104 continuing medical education hours in the specia lty practice in which the physician assistant has prescriptive privileges with each licensure renewal application. 4. The department may issue a prescriber number to the physician assistant granting authority for the prescribing of medicinal drugs author ized within this paragraph upon completion of the foregoing requirements. The physician assistant shall not be required to independently register pursuant to s. 465.0276. CS/HB 2013 5. The prescription must be written in a form that complies with chapter and mu st contain, in addition to the supervisory physician's name, address, and telephone number, the physician assistant's prescriber number. Unless it is a drug or drug sample dispensed by the physician assistant, the prescription must be filled in a pharmacy permitted under chapter 465, and must be dispensed in that pharmacy by a pharmacist licensed under chapter 465. The appearance of the prescriber number creates a presumption that the physician assistant is authorized to prescribe the medicinal drug and the prescription is valid. 6. The physician assistant must note the prescription or dispensing of medication in the appropriate medical record. 7. This paragraph does not prohibit a supervisory physician from delegating to a physician assistant the author ity to order medication for a hospitalized patient of the supervisory physician. This paragraph does not apply to facilities licensed pursuant to chapter 395. (f) A supervisory physician may delegate to a licensed physician assistant the authority to or der medications for the supervisory physician's patient during the patient's care in a facility licensed under chapter 395, notwithstanding any provision in chapter or chapter that may prohibit such delegation. For the purpose of this paragraph, an order is not considered a prescription. A licensed physician assistant working in a facility that is licensed under chapter may CS/HB 2013 order any medication under the direction of the supervisory physician. Section 3. This act shall take effect July 1, 13.