Source: https://wvbom.wv.gov/PA_PracticeAct.asp
Timestamp: 2019-04-23 20:56:49+00:00

Document:
§30-3E-2. Powers and duties of the boards.
§30-3E-4. License to practice as a physician assistant.
§30-3E-11. Collaboration with physician assistants.
§30-3E-12a. Physician assistant signatory authority.
§30-3E-14. Special volunteer physician assistant license.
§30-3E-15. Summer camp or volunteer endorsement - West Virginia licensee.
§30-3E-16. Summer camp or volunteer endorsement - Out-of-state licensee.
§30-3E-18. Health care facility reporting requirements.
§30-3E-19. Unlawful act and penalty.
(1) "Advance duties" means medical acts that require additional training beyond the basic education program training required for licensure as a physician assistant.
(2) "Alternate collaborating physician" means one or more physicians licensed in this state and designated by the collaborating physician to provide collaboration with a physician assistant in accordance with an authorized practice agreement.
(3) "Approved program" means an educational program for physician assistants approved and accredited by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant or its successor. Prior to 2001, approval and accreditation would have been by either the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation or the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant.
(4) "Boards" means the West Virginia Board of Medicine and the West Virginia Board of Osteopathic Medicine.
(5) "Chronic condition" means a condition which lasts three months or more, generally cannot be prevented by vaccines, can be controlled but not cured by medication and does not generally disappear. These conditions include, but are not limited to, arthritis, asthma, cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes, epilepsy and seizures and obesity.
(6) "Collaborating physician" means a doctor of medicine, osteopathy or podiatry fully licensed, by the appropriate board in this state, without restriction or limitation, who collaborates with physician assistants.
(7) "Collaboration" means overseeing the activities of, and accepting responsibility for, the medical services rendered by a physician assistant. Constant physical presence of the collaborating physician is not required as long as the collaborating physician and physician assistant are, or can be, easily in contact with one another by telecommunication. Collaboration does not require the personal presence of the collaborating physician at the place or places where services are rendered.
(8) "Endorsement" means a summer camp or volunteer endorsement authorized under this article.
(9) "Health care facility" means any licensed hospital, nursing home, extended care facility, state health or mental institution, clinic or physician’s office.
(10) "Hospital" means a facility licensed pursuant to article five-b, chapter sixteen of this code and any acute-care facility operated by the state government that primarily provides inpatient diagnostic, treatment or rehabilitative services to injured, disabled or sick persons under the supervision of physicians and includes psychiatric hospitals.
(11) "License" means a license issued by either of the boards pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(12) "Licensee" means a person licensed pursuant to the provisions of this article.
(13) "Physician" means a doctor of allopathic or osteopathic medicine who is fully licensed pursuant to the provisions of either article three or article fourteen of this chapter to practice medicine and surgery in this state.
(14) "Physician assistant" means a person who meets the qualifications set forth in this article and is licensed pursuant to this article to practice medicine under collaboration.
(15) "Practice agreement" means a document that is executed between a collaborating physician and a physician assistant pursuant to the provisions of this article, and is filed with and approved by the appropriate licensing board.
(5) Take all other actions necessary and proper to effectuate the purposes of this article.
(10) Any other rules necessary to effectuate the provisions of this article.
(b) The boards may propose emergency rules pursuant to article three, chapter twenty-nine-a of this code to ensure conformity with this article.
(a) A person seeking licensure as a physician assistant shall apply to the Board of Medicine or to the Board of Osteopathic Medicine. The appropriate board shall issue a license to practice as a physician assistant with the collaboration of that board’s licensed physicians or podiatrists.
(10) Has fulfilled any other requirement specified by the appropriate board.
(c) A board may deny an application for a physician assistant license to any applicant determined to be unqualified by the board.
(a) A temporary license may be issued by the boards to a person applying for a license under this article, if the person meets all of the qualifications for a license but is awaiting the next scheduled meeting of the board for action upon his or her application.
(b) The temporary license expires six months after issuance or after the board acts, whichever is earlier.
(3) An attestation that all continuing education requirements for the reporting period have been met.
(b) If a licensee fails to timely renew his or her license, then the license automatically expires.
(4) An attestation that all continuing education requirements have been met.
(b) If a license automatically expires and more than one year has passed since the automatic expiration, then an applicant shall apply for a new license.
(a) A physician assistant may not practice independent of a collaborating physician.
(3) Receive written authorization from the appropriate licensing board to commence practicing as a physician assistant pursuant to the practice agreement.
(2) The activities delegated to a physician assistant are consistent with sound medical practice and will protect the health and safety of the patient.
(d) A collaborating physician may enter into practice agreements with up to five full-time physician assistants at any one time. A physician is prohibited from being a collaborating or alternate collaborating physician to more than five physician assistants at any one time. However, a physician practicing medicine in an emergency department of a hospital or a physician who collaborating with a physician assistant who is employed by or on behalf of a hospital may collaborate with up to five physician assistants per shift if the physician has an authorized practice agreement in place with the physician assistant or the physician has been properly authorized as an alternate collaborating physician for each physician assistant.
(8) Any other information required by the boards.
(2) Request additional information from the collaborating physician and/or the physician assistant to evaluate the delegation of duties and advanced duties.
(3) Each advanced duty to be delegated to the physician assistant is reviewed and approved within a process approved by the governing body of the health care facility or ambulatory surgical facility before the physician assistant performs the advanced duties.
(d) If a licensing board declines to authorize a practice agreement or any proposed delegated act incorporated therein, the board shall provide the collaborating physician and the physician assistant with written notice. A physician assistant who receives notice that the board has not authorized a practice agreement or a delegated act shall not practice under the agreement or perform the delegated act.
(e) If a practice agreement is terminated, then a physician assistant shall notify the appropriate licensing board in writing within ten days of the termination. Failure to provide timely notice of the termination constitutes unprofessional conduct and disciplinary proceedings may be instituted by the appropriate licensing board.
(C) Only delegates those medical acts that have been authorized by the practice agreement and are within the scope of practice of both the primary collaborating physician and the alternate collaborating physician.
(3) Collaborating with the physician assistant in the care and treatment of a patient in a health care facility.
(c) A health care facility is only legally responsible for the actions or omissions of a physician assistant when the physician assistant is employed by or on behalf of the facility. Credentialed medical facility staff and attending physicians of a hospital who provide direction to or utilize physician assistants employed by or on behalf of the hospital are considered alternate collaborating physicians.
(4) Consistent with the laws of this state and rules of the boards.
(b) This article does not authorize a 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.
(4) Utility company forms requiring maintenance of utilities regardless of ability to pay.
(b) A physician assistant may not sign a certificate of merit for a medical malpractice claim against a physician.
(a) While practicing, a physician assistant shall wear a name tag that identifies him or her as a physician assistant.
(b) A physician assistant shall keep his or her license and current practice agreement available for inspection at his or her primary place of practice.
(2) Wishes to donate his or her expertise for the medical care and treatment of indigent and needy patients in the clinical setting of clinics organized, in whole or in part, for the delivery of health care services without charge.
(3) The initial license shall be issued for the remainder of the licensing period.
(c) The special volunteer physician assistant license shall be renewed consistent with the appropriate licensing board’s other licensing requirements.
(4) The physician assistant agrees to continue to participate in continuing education as required by the appropriate licensing board for the special volunteer physician assistant license.
(e) A physician assistant and his or her collaborating physician who render medical service to indigent and needy patients of a clinic organized, in whole or in part, for the delivery of health care services without charge, under a special volunteer physician assistant license, without payment or compensation or the expectation or promise of payment or compensation, are immune from liability for any civil action arising out of any act or omission resulting from the rendering of the medical service at the clinic unless the act or omission was the result of the physician assistant’s and his or her collaborating physician’s gross negligence or willful misconduct. In order for the immunity under this subsection to apply, there shall be a written agreement between the physician assistant and the clinic pursuant to which the physician assistant shall provide voluntary uncompensated medical services under the control of the clinic to patients of the clinic before the rendering of any services by the physician assistant at the clinic. Any clinic entering into a written agreement is required to maintain liability coverage of not less than $1 million per occurrence.
(f) Notwithstanding the provisions of this section, a clinic organized, in whole or in part, for the delivery of health care services without charge is not relieved from imputed liability for the negligent acts of a physician assistant rendering voluntary medical services at or for the clinic under a special volunteer physician assistant license.
(g) For purposes of this section, "otherwise eligible for licensure" means the satisfaction of all the requirements for licensure under this article, except the fee requirements.
(h) Nothing in this section may be construed as requiring the appropriate licensing board to issue a special volunteer physician assistant license to any physician assistant whose license is or has been subject to any disciplinary action or to any physician assistant who has surrendered a physician assistant license or caused his or her license to lapse, expire and become invalid in lieu of having a complaint initiated or other action taken against his or her license, or who has elected to place a physician assistant license in inactive status in lieu of having a complaint initiated or other action taken against his or her license, or who has been denied a physician assistant license.
(i) Any policy or contract of liability insurance providing coverage for liability sold, issued or delivered in this state to any physician assistant covered under the provisions of this article shall be read so as to contain a provision or endorsement whereby the company issuing the policy waives or agrees not to assert as a defense on behalf of the policyholder or any beneficiary thereof, to any claim covered by the terms of the policy within the policy limits, the immunity from liability of the insured by reason of the care and treatment of needy and indigent patients by a physician assistant who holds a special volunteer physician assistant license.
(C) The physician assistant will not prescribe any controlled substances or legend drugs as part of his or her practice at the summer camp or public or community event.
(b) A physician assistant may only receive one summer camp or volunteer endorsement annually. The endorsement is active for one specifically designated period annually, which period cannot exceed three weeks.
(c) A fee cannot be assessed for the endorsement if the physician assistant is volunteering his or her services without compensation or remuneration.
(7) Has fulfilled any other requirements specified by the appropriate board.
(a) All hearings and procedures related to denial of a license, and all complaints, investigations, hearings and procedures regarding a physician assistant license and the discipline accorded thereto, shall be in accordance with the processes and procedures set forth in articles three and/or fourteen of this chapter, depending on which board licenses the physician assistant.
(b) The boards may impose the same discipline, restrictions and/or limitations upon the license of a physician assistant as they are authorized to impose upon physicians and/or podiatrists.
(c) The boards shall direct to the appropriate licensing board a complaint against a physician assistant, a collaborating physician and/or an alternate collaborating physician.
(d) In the event that independent complaint processes are warranted by the boards with respect to the professional conduct of a physician assistant or a collaborating and/or alternate collaborating physician, the boards are authorized to work cooperatively and to disclose to one another information which may assist the recipient appropriate licensing board in its disciplinary process. The determination of what information, if any, to disclose shall be at the discretion of the disclosing board.
(e) A physician assistant licensed under this article may not be disciplined for providing expedited partner therapy in accordance with article four-f, chapter sixteen of this code.
(a) A health care facility shall report, in writing, to the appropriate licensing board within sixty days after the completion of the facility's formal disciplinary procedure or after the commencement and conclusion of any resulting legal action against a licensee.
(3) The formal disciplinary action taken against the physician assistant by the facility relating to professional ethics, medical incompetence, medical malpractice, moral turpitude or drug or alcohol abuse.
(c) A health care facility does not need to report temporary suspensions for failure to maintain records on a timely basis or for failure to attend staff or section meetings.
It is unlawful for any physician assistant to represent to any person that he or she is a physician, surgeon or podiatrist. A person who violates this section is guilty of a felony and, upon conviction thereof, shall be imprisoned in a state correctional facility for not less than one nor more than two years, or be fined not more than $2,000, or both fined and imprisoned.

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