Source: http://www.wvlegislature.gov/Bill_Status/bills_text.cfm?billdoc=sb573%20enr.htm&yr=2007&sesstype=RS&i=573
Timestamp: 2019-04-25 05:03:25+00:00

Document:
AN ACT to amend and reenact §30-3-9, §30-3-12 and §30-3-16 of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended; to amend said code by adding thereto a new article, designated §30-3D-1, §30-3D-2 and §30-3D-3; and to amend said code by adding thereto a new section, designated §30-14-11a , all relating to authorizing the West Virginia Board of Medicine and the West Virginia Board of Osteopathy; designating programs in which physicians, podiatrists and physician assistants may be monitored while they pursue treatment and recovery for alcohol abuse, chemical dependency or major mental illness; enrolling on a voluntary basis without being subject to disciplinary action if the person complies with the goals and restrictions of the program; and requiring licenses for physicians, podiatrists and physician assistants to expire rather than being suspended if required continuing education is not documented.
(h) (1) In order to encourage voluntary participation in monitored alcohol chemical dependency or major mental illness programs and in recognition of the fact that major mental illness, alcoholism and chemical dependency are illnesses, a physician, podiatrist or physician assistant licensed, certified or otherwise lawfully practicing in this state or applying for a license to practice in this state may enter into a voluntary agreement with the physician health program as defined in section two, article three-d of this chapter. The agreement between the physician, podiatrist or physician assistant and the physician health program shall include a jointly agreed upon treatment program and mandatory conditions and procedures to monitor compliance with the program of recovery.
§30-3-12. Biennial renewal of license to practice medicine and surgery or podiatry; continuing education; rules; fee; inactive license.
(f) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, beginning the first day of July , two thousand seven, failure to timely submit to the board a certification of successful completion of a minimum of fifty hours of continuing medical or podiatric education satisfactory to the board, as appropriate to the particular license, shall result in the automatic expiration of any license to practice medicine and surgery or podiatry until such time as the certification, with all supporting written documentation, is submitted to and approved by the board.
(1) Accounts for his or her period of inactivity to the satisfaction of the board; and (2) Submits written documentation of participation in and successful completion of a minimum of fifty hours of continuing medical or podiatric education satisfactory to the board, as appropriate to the particular license, during each preceding two-year period.
§30-3-16. Physician assistants; definitions; Board of Medicine rules; annual report; licensure; temporary license; relicensure; job description required; revocation or suspension of licensure; responsibilities of supervising physician; legal responsibility for physician assistants; reporting by health care facilities; identification; limitations on employment and duties; fees; continuing education; unlawful representation of physician assistant as a physician; criminal penalties.
(5) "Supervising physician" means a doctor or doctors of medicine or podiatry permanently licensed in this state who assume legal and supervisory responsibility for the work or training of any physician assistant under his or her supervision.
(b) The board shall promulgate rules pursuant to the provisions of article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code governing the extent to which physician assistants may function in this state. The rules shall provide that the physician assistant Is limited to the performance of those services for which he or she is trained and that he or she performs only under the supervision and control of a physician permanently licensed in this state, but that supervision and control does not require the personal presence of the supervising physician at the place or places where services are rendered if the physician assistant's normal place of employment is on the premises of the supervising physician . The supervising physician may send the physician assistant off the premises to perform duties under his or her direction, but a separate place of work for the physician assistant may not be established. In promulgating the rules, the board shall allow the physician assistant to perform those procedures and examinations and in the case of certain authorized physician assistants to prescribe at the direction of his or her supervising physician in accordance with subsection (n) of this section those categories of drugs submitted to it in the job description required by this section . Certain authorized physician assistants may pronounce death in accordance with the rules proposed by the board which receive legislative approval. The board shall compile and publish an annual report that includes a list of currently licensed physician assistants and their employers and location in the state.
(4) Has attained a baccalaureate or master's degree.
(3) Practices midwifery under the supervision of a board- certified obstetrician, gynecologist or a board-certified family practice physician who routinely practices obstetrics.
(2) He or she had been certified by the board as a physician assistant then classified as "Type B" prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred eighty-three.
(f) Licensure of an assistant to a physician practicing the specialty of ophthalmology is permitted under this section: Provided, That a physician assistant may not dispense a prescription for a refraction.
(g) When any graduate of an approved program submits an application to the board for a physician assistant license, accompanied by a job description as referenced by this section, the board shall issue to that applicant a temporary license allowing that applicant to function as a physician assistant until the applicant successfully passes the national commission on certification of physician assistants' certifying examination: Provided, That the applicant shall sit for and obtain a passing score on the examination next offered following graduation from the approved program. No applicant shall receive a temporary license who, following graduation from an approved program, has sat for and not obtained a passing score on the examination. A physician assistant who has not been certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners on behalf of the national commission on certification of physician assistants will be restricted to work under the direct supervision of the supervising physician.
(h) A physician assistant who has been issued a temporary license shall, within thirty days of receipt of written notice from the national commission on certification of physician assistants of his or her performance on the certifying examination, notify the board in writing of his or her results. In the event of failure of that examination, the temporary license shall expire and terminate automatically and the board shall so notify the physician assistant in writing.
(i) Any physician applying to the board to supervise a physician assistant shall affirm that the range of medical services set forth in the physician assistant's job description are consistent with the skills and training of the supervising physician and the physician assistant. Before a physician assistant can be employed or otherwise use his or her skills, the supervising physician and the physician assistant must obtain approval of the job description from the board. The board may revoke or suspend any license of an assistant to a physician for cause, after giving that assistant an opportunity to be heard in the manner provided by article five, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code and as set forth in rules duly adopted by the board.
(j) The supervising physician is responsible for observing, directing and evaluating the work, records and practices of each physician assistant performing under his or her supervision. He or she shall notify the board in writing of any termination of his or her supervisory relationship with a physician assistant within ten days of the termination. The legal responsibility for any physician assistant remains with the supervising physician at all times, including occasions when the assistant under his or her direction and supervision, aids in the care and treatment of a patient in a health care facility. In his or her absence, a supervising physician must designate an alternate supervising physician, however, the legal responsibility remains with the supervising physician at all times. A health care facility is not legally responsible for the actions or omissions of the physician assistant unless the physician assistant is an employee of the facility.
(k) The acts or omissions of a physician assistant employed by health care facilities providing inpatient or outpatient services shall be the legal responsibility of the facilities. Physician assistants employed by facilities in staff positions shall be supervised by a permanently licensed physician.
(l) A health care facility shall report in writing to the board within sixty days after the completion of the facility's formal disciplinary procedure, and also after the commencement, and again after the conclusion, of any resulting legal action, the name of any physician assistant practicing in the facility whose privileges at the facility have been revoked, restricted, reduced or terminated for any cause including resignation, together with all pertinent information relating to the action. The health care facility shall also report any other formal disciplinary action taken against any physician assistant by the facility relating to professional ethics, medical incompetence, medical malpractice, moral turpitude or drug or alcohol abuse. Temporary suspension for failure to maintain records on a timely basis or failure to attend staff or section meetings need not be reported.
(m) When functioning as a physician assistant, the physician assistant shall wear a name tag that identifies him or her as a physician assistant. A two and one-half by three and one-half inch card of identification shall be furnished by the board upon licensure of the physician assistant.
(5) A requirement that to maintain prescription privileges, a physician assistant shall continue to maintain national certification as a physician assistant and, in meeting the national certification requirements, shall complete a minimum of ten hours of continuing education in rational drug therapy in each certification period. Nothing in this subsection shall be construed to permit a physician assistant to independently prescribe or dispense drugs.
(o) A supervising physician may not supervise at any one time more than three full-time physician assistants or their equivalent, except that a physician may supervise up to four hospital-employed physician assistants. No physician shall supervise more than four physician assistants at any one time.
(p) A physician assistant may not sign any prescription, except in the case of an authorized physician assistant at the direction of his or her supervising physician in accordance with the provisions of subsection (n) of this section. A physician assistant may not perform any service that his or her supervising physician is not qualified to perform. A physician assistant may not perform any service that is not included in his or her job description and approved by the board as provided for in this section.
(q) The provisions of this section do not authorize any physician assistant to perform any specific function or duty delegated by this code to those persons licensed as chiropractors, dentists, dental hygienists, optometrists or pharmacists or certified as nurse anesthetists.
(r) Each application for licensure submitted by a licensed supervising physician under this section is to be accompanied by a fee of one hundred dollars. A fee of fifty dollars is to be charged for the biennial renewal of the license. A fee of twenty-five dollars is to be charged for any change of supervising physician.
(s) As a condition of renewal of physician assistant license, each physician assistant shall provide written documentation of participation in and successful completion during the preceding two-year period of continuing education, in the number of hours specified by the board by rule, designated as Category I by the American Medical Association, American Academy of Physician Assistants or the Academy of Family Physicians and continuing education, in the number of hours specified by the board by rule, designated as Category II by the association or either academy.
(t) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, beginning the first day of July , two thousand seven, failure to timely submit the required written documentation shall result in the automatic expiration of any license as a physician assistant until the written documentation is submitted to and approved by the board.
(w) It is unlawful for any physician assistant to represent to any person that he or she is a physician, surgeon or podiatrist. Any person who violates the provisions of this subsection is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in the penitentiary for not less than one nor more than two years, or be fined not more than two thousand dollars, or both fined and imprisoned.
(x) All physician assistants holding valid certificates issued by the board prior to the first day of July, one thousand nine hundred ninety-two, shall be considered to be licensed under this section.
§30-14-11a. Records of board; expungement; examination; notice; public information; voluntary agreements relating to alcohol or chemical dependency; confidentiality of same; physician-patient privileges.
(a) The board shall maintain a permanent record of the names of all osteopathic physicians and osteopathic physician assistants, licensed, certified or otherwise lawfully practicing in this state and of all persons applying to be so licensed to practice, along with an individual historical record for each such individual containing reports and all other information furnished the board under this article or otherwise. When the board receives a report submitted pursuant to the provisions of section twelve-a of this article, or when the board receives or initiates a complaint regarding the conduct of anyone practicing osteopathic medicine or surgery, the board shall create a separate complaint file in which the board shall maintain all documents relating to the investigation and action upon the alleged conduct.
(c) An osteopathic physician, osteopathic physician assistant, or applicant, or authorized representative thereof, has the right, upon request, to examine his or her own individual records maintained by the board pursuant to this article and to place into such record a statement of reasonable length of his or her own view of the correctness or relevance of any information existing in such record. Such statement shall at all times accompany that part of the record in contention.
(d) An osteopathic physician, osteopathic physician assistant or applicant has the right to seek through court action the amendment or expungement of any part of his or her historical record.
(e) An osteopathic physician, osteopathic physician assistant or applicant shall be provided written notice within thirty days of the placement and substance of any information in his or her individual historical record that pertains to him or her and that was not submitted to the board by him or her, other than requests for verification of the status of the individual's license and the board's responses thereto.
(f) Except for information relating to biographical background, education, professional training and practice, a voluntary agreement entered into pursuant to subsection (h) of this section and which has been disclosed to the board, prior disciplinary action by any entity, or information contained on the licensure application, the board shall expunge information in an individual's complaint file unless it has initiated a proceeding for a hearing upon such information within two years of the placing of the information into the complaint file.
(g) Orders of the board relating to disciplinary action against a physician, or physician assistant are public information.
(h) (1) In order to encourage voluntary participation in monitored alcohol, chemical dependency or major mental illness programs and in recognition of the fact that major mental illness, alcoholism and chemical dependency are illnesses, an osteopathic physician or osteopathic physician assistant licensed, certified, or otherwise lawfully practicing in this state or applying for a license to practice in this state may enter into a voluntary agreement with the board-designated physician health program. The agreement between the physician or physician assistant and the physician health program shall include a jointly agreed upon treatment program and mandatory conditions and procedures to monitor compliance with the program of recovery.
(C) The physician or physician assistant is in compliance with the voluntary treatment program and the conditions and procedures to monitor compliance.
(3) If any osteopathic physician or osteopathic physician assistant enters into a voluntary agreement with the board-approved physician health program, pursuant to this subsection and then fails to comply with, or fulfill the terms of said agreement the physician health program shall report the noncompliance to the board within twenty-four hours. The board may initiate disciplinary proceedings pursuant to section eleven of this article or may permit continued participation in the physician health program or both.
(4) If the board has not instituted any disciplinary proceeding as provided in this article, any information received, maintained, or developed by the board relating to the alcohol or chemical dependency impairment of any osteopathic physician or osteopathic physician assistant and any voluntary agreement made pursuant to this subsection shall be confidential and not available for public information, discovery or court subpoena, nor for introduction into evidence in any medical professional liability action or other action for damages arising out of the provision of or failure to provide health care services.
In the board's annual report of its activities to the Governor and the Legislature required under section twelve, article one of this chapter, the board shall include information regarding the success of the voluntary agreement mechanism established therein: Provided, That in making such report the board shall not disclose any personally identifiable information relating to any osteopathic physician or osteopathic physician assistant participating in a voluntary agreement as provided herein.
Notwithstanding any of the foregoing provisions, the board may cooperate with and provide documentation of any voluntary agreement entered into pursuant to this subsection to licensing boards in other jurisdictions of which the board has become aware and as may be appropriate.

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