NPs and PAs already see industrial patients in their practices. Under the provisions of AB 1194, paperwork generated for workers' compensation insurers will reflect the reality of the medical care delivery system that's already functioning. The Business and Professions Code allows NPs and PAs to see patients with the same injuries whether the condition occurs as a result of employment or not.
Treatment is the same, regardless of where the injury occurs.
NPs and PAs determine activity restrictions for their patients every day. They are qualified to prescribe and obligated to know what constitutes proper restrictions for their patients. The appropriateness of these restrictions is not altered by how the condition came to be. AB 1194 will not expand the scope of practice for NPs or PAs. As noted above, the scope of practice is already defined by the Business and Professions code.