reglab/statecodes huggingface dataset:
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 2a - Acceptance of Certificate in Lieu of Examination for Registration as Qualified Physician; Fee

Section 2A. In determining the qualifications necessary for registration as a qualified physician, the board may at its discretion accept the certificate of the National Board of Medical Examiners of the United States, chartered under the laws of the District of Columbia, or the certificate of the National Board of Examiners for Osteopathic Physicians and Surgeons of the American Osteopathic Association, in place of and as equivalent to its own professional examination; but before registration in pursuance of this section the applicant therefor shall pay a fee to be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 2b - Schools for Training Medical Laboratory Technologists; Inspection; Approval; Approving Authority

Section 2B. No person shall operate or maintain a school for training medical laboratory technologists unless such school has been approved in writing by the approving authority established by section two, provided, however, that for the purposes of this section only, the membership of said authority shall be increased by three members to be appointed for a term of three years each by the governor with the advice and consent of the council, one member to be a hospital administrator or hospital trustee, who shall be a member of the Massachusetts Hospital Association; one member to be a medical laboratory technologist meeting the training and experience requirements of the American Medical Association, to be appointed from a list submitted by the Massachusetts Association of Technologists and Laboratory Technicians, Incorporated; and one member to be a physician, appointed from a list submitted by the section of physiology and pathology of the Massachusetts Medical Society. Said additional members shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for their travel and other reasonable expenses incidental to the performance of their duties.
A school for training of medical laboratory technologists shall mean a school maintained or classes conducted for the purpose of training two or more individuals to perform or assist in the performance of various medical laboratory procedures used in the diagnosis, treatment and study of disease, but shall not be construed to apply to duly accredited colleges and graduate schools teaching courses in physiology, biochemistry, bacteriology, clinical pathology or the various other medical sciences.
The provisions of section two relating to the inspection and approval of colleges, universities and medical schools by the approving authority shall apply to schools for the training of medical laboratory technologists.
Whoever being the educational director or the business director of a school for training of medical laboratory technologists violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 2c - Schools for Training Medical X&ndash;ray Technicians; Approval; Inspection; Approving Authority

Section 2C. No person shall operate or maintain a school for training medical X–ray technicians unless such school has been approved by the approving authority established by section two; provided, however, that for the purposes of this section only, the membership of said authority shall be increased by three members to be appointed for a term of three years each by the governor with the advice and consent of the council, one member to be a radiologist who is a member of the section on radiology of the Massachusetts Medical Society; one member to be a member of the Massachusetts Hospital Association; and one member to be an X–ray technician who is a member of the Massachusetts Society of X–ray technicians and certified by the American Registry of X–ray Technicians of Minneapolis, Minnesota. Said additional members shall serve without compensation, but may be reimbursed for their travel and other reasonable expenses incidental to the performance of their duties. The provisions of section two relating to the inspection and approval of colleges, universities and medical schools by the approving authority shall apply to schools for the training of medical X–ray technicians. A school for training medical X–ray technicians shall mean a school or classes conducted for the purpose of training two or more individuals to perform various medical X–ray procedures used in the diagnosis, treatment or study of disease. Any person who operates or maintains a school for training medical X–ray technicians and who violates the provisions of this section shall be punished by a fine of not more than one thousand dollars, or by imprisonment for not more than six months, or both.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 2d - Professional Relationships Preventing Physician From Providing Administrative or Judicial Testimony

Section 2D. No physician shall enter into a contract or agreement which creates or establishes a partnership, employment or any other form of professional relationship that prohibits a physician from providing testimony in an administrative or judicial hearing, including cases of medical malpractice.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 3 - Examinations

Section 3. Examinations shall be in whole or in part in writing, in English, shall be of a scientific and practical character, shall include the subjects of anatomy, surgery, chemistry, biology, physics, physiology, pathology, obstetrics, gynecology, psychiatry, practice of medicine and hygiene and shall be sufficiently thorough to test the applicants' fitness to practice medicine. The board may employ expert assistance in conducting hospital and laboratory tests.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 4 - Record of Registered Physicians; Annual Report

Section 4. The board shall keep a record of the names of all persons registered by it and of all money received and disbursed by it, and a duplicate thereof shall be open to inspection in the office of the state secretary. The board shall make an annual report, including a statement of the condition of medicine and surgery in the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5a - Physician's License Restrictions

Section 5A. The board shall have the authority, after a hearing pursuant to chapter thirty A, to impose restrictions on a physician's license prohibiting the physician from performing certain medical procedures or operations, or from performing procedures except under certain conditions. The board shall by regulations specify the bases for such restrictions.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5b - Reports of Disciplinary Action by Professional Medical Organizations

Section 5B. Any professional medical association, society, body, professional standards review organization, or similarly constituted professional organization, whether or not such association, society, body, or organization is local, regional, state, national, or international in scope, shall report to the board of registration in medicine any disciplinary action taken against any of the board's licensees. Such report of disciplinary action, shall be filed with the board within thirty days of such disciplinary action, shall be in writing, and shall be mailed to the board by certified or registered mail. ''Disciplinary action'' includes, but is not limited to, revocation, suspension, censure, reprimand, restriction, nonrenewal, denial, or restriction of privileges, or resignation. A denial or restriction of privileges or a resignation shall be reported only when the resignation or the denial or restriction of privileges is related in any way to (a) the applicant's competence to practice medicine, or (b) a complaint or allegation regarding any violation of law or regulation, including but not limited to the regulations of the board, or hospital, health care facility or professional medical association by-laws, whether or not the complaint or allegation specifically cites violation of a specified law, regulation, or by-law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5c - Reports by Insurers of Medical Malpractice Claims or Actions; Liability

Section 5C. Every insurer or risk management organization which provides professional liability insurance to a registered physician shall report to the board any claim or action for damages for personal injuries alleged to have been caused by error, omission, or negligence in the performance of such physician's professional services where such claim resulted in:
(a) A final judgment in any amount,
(b) A settlement in any amount, or
(c) A final disposition not resulting in payment on behalf of the insured.
Reports shall be filed with the board no later than thirty days following the occurrence of any event listed in paragraph (a), (b), or (c).
Such reports shall be in writing on a form prescribed by the board and shall contain the following information:
(a) the name, address, specialty coverage, and policy number of the physician against whom the claim is made; and
(b) name, address and age of the claimant or plaintiff; and
(c) nature and substance of the claim; and
(d) date when and place at which the claim arose; and
(e) the amounts paid, if any, and the date and manner of disposition, judgment, settlement, or otherwise; and
(f) the date and reason for final disposition, if no judgment or settlement; and
(g) such additional information as the board shall require. No insurer or its agents or employees shall be liable in any cause of action arising from reporting to the board as required in this section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5d - Reports of Violations by Public Officers or Employees

Section 5D. Any officer or employee of any agency, executive office, department, board, commission, bureau, division or authority of the commonwealth, or of any political subdivision thereof which is engaged in the provision or oversight of medical or health services, shall report to the board of registration in medicine any person who there is reasonable basis to believe is in violation of section five, or any of the regulations of the board except as otherwise prohibited by law.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5e - Reports by Physicians of Settlements or Arbitration Awards; Filing; Penalty

Section 5E. Any registered physician who does not possess professional liability insurance shall report to the board every settlement or arbitration award of a claim or action for damages for death or personal injury caused by negligence, error or omission in practice, or the unauthorized rendering of professional services by such physician. Such report shall be made within thirty days after any such settlement agreement has been reduced to writing thereto or thirty days after service of such arbitration award on the parties and signed by all the parties. Failure of the physician to comply with the provisions of this section is an offense punishable by a fine of not more than five hundred dollars. Knowing and intentional failure to comply with the provisions of this section, or conspiracy or collusion not to comply with the provisions of this section, or to hinder or impede any other person in such compliance is an offense punishable by a fine of not less than five thousand dollars nor more than fifty thousand dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5f1/2 - Providing or Assisting in Reproductive Health Care Services and Gender-Affirming Health Care Services; Availability of Physician's Record

Section 5F1/2. Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, no person shall be subject to discipline by the board, including the revocation, suspension or cancellation of the certificate of registration or reprimand, censure or monetary fine, for providing or assisting in the provision of reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services, as those terms are defined in section 11I1/2 of chapter 12, or for any judgment, discipline or other sanction arising from such health care services if the services as provided would have been lawful and consistent with good medical practice if they occurred entirely in the commonwealth.
The board shall not make available for public dissemination on a physician's individual profile the record of any criminal conviction or charge for a felony or serious misdemeanor, final disciplinary action by a licensing board in another state or a medical malpractice court judgment, arbitration award or settlement that resulted from providing or assisting in the provision of reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services or for any judgment, discipline or other sanction arising from such health care services if the services as provided would have been lawful and consistent with good medical practice if they occurred entirely in the commonwealth. The board shall not take adverse action on an application for registration of a qualified physician based on a criminal or civil action, disciplinary action by a licensing board of another state or a medical malpractice claim in another state arising from the provision of reproductive health care services or gender-affirming health care services that, as provided, would have been lawful and consistent with good medical practice if they occurred entirely in the commonwealth.
Nothing in this section shall be construed to regulate the practice of medicine in any other state.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5g - Communication With Professional Organizations or Board; Liability; Counsel Fees and Costs

Section 5G. (a) No person or health care provider who communicates with a peer review committee, administrative subcommittee, ethics committee or other similar committee of a health care provider, professional society of health care providers or entity which pays professional liability claims on behalf of any health care provider shall be liable in any cause of action arising out of the providing or receiving of such communication provided that such person or health care provider acts in good faith and with a reasonable belief that such communication was warranted in connection with or in furtherance of the functions of such committee.
(b) No person who reports information to the board as required in section five A through section five F inclusive, or as required in any other law or regulation shall be liable in any cause of action arising out of such report provided that such person acts in good faith and with a reasonable belief that such report was required. If such an action is instituted against a person who reports to the board as required in sections five A to five F, inclusive, and such action is determined by the court to be insubstantial, frivolous and not advanced in good faith, then such person defending such action may be awarded reasonable counsel fees and other costs and expenses incurred in defending against such action pursuant to section six F of chapter two hundred and thirty-one.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5h - Incompetency or Impairment of Physician; Physical or Mental Examination; Court Order; Report

Section 5H. Whenever it appears that any physician licensed in the commonwealth may be incompetent or unable to practice medicine with reasonable skill and safety because such physician's ability to practice is impaired due to mental illness or physical illness, the board may order such physician to be examined by one or more physicians and surgeons designated by the board and at the board's expense.
If said physician fails or refuses to comply with an order by the board for such examination, and upon reasonable notice to said physician, the board may apply to the superior court for an order compelling said physician to submit to such examination. If the board's application is granted, the court may, after opportunity for hearing, require such physician to pay to the board its reasonable expenses incurred in obtaining the order, including attorney's fees, unless the court finds an award of expenses unjust. The physician's failure to comply with a court order issued under this section shall constitute grounds for disciplinary action under section five.
The report of the examiners shall be made available to such physician and may be received as direct evidence in proceedings conducted pursuant to section five. Said report shall remain confidential except to the extent it is disclosed in such proceedings.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5i - Surgical and Other Procedures; Report of Data Regarding Results

Section 5I. The board shall have authority to require hospitals, physicians, health maintenance organizations and other medical service providers to provide data to it as to the results of specific surgical and other procedures performed by physicians on a physician by physician basis. Any information provided to the board pursuant to this section shall be subject to the confidentiality provisions set forth in section five of this chapter.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5j - Annual Report to Special Commission on Medical Malpractice

Section 5J. The board shall file annually, but not later than March first of each succeeding year after the effective date of this section, a report of all matters referred to the board under section five to five H, inclusive, to the special commission on medical malpractice established under section twelve of chapter three hundred and sixty-two of the acts of nineteen hundred and seventy-five and the clerks of both branches of the general court.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5k - Prioritization of Investigations; Rules and Regulations

Section 5K. The board is authorized to promulgate rules and regulations relative to the prioritization of investigation of complaints and reports received by the board, and the establishment of timelines for the investigation and resolution of such complaints or reports. In promulgating such rules and regulations, the board shall take into account the frequency and severity of the various types of complaints or reports, the possible threat to public health and safety posed by such complaints or reports and the degree of difficulty in investigating and resolving such complaints and reports.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5l - Standards for Physicians Who Read and Interpret Mammography

Section 5L. The board shall by regulation establish qualifications, standards and criteria no less stringent than the most current standards of the American College of Radiology, which shall apply to all physicians who read and interpret mammography.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5n - Professional Development Training Module on Suicide Prevention Through Reduction of Access to Lethal Means

Section 5N. The board of registration in medicine established pursuant to section 5B shall, in collaboration with experts in violence and injury prevention, and in coordination with relevant training accreditation bodies, develop or provide for, and make available for voluntary participation by any physician, a professional development training module on suicide prevention through reduction of access to lethal means. The goal of the training module shall be to encourage physicians to speak with their patients and patients' families about the risk posed by access to lethal means in the home, and to increase a physician's ability and comfort in having such discussions with patients and families in a legally, ethically and medically appropriate manner. The training module shall include information on:
(i) rates of attempted and completed suicides, including demographics, trends in mental health histories of suicide victims and trends in rates of reattempts by survivors;
(ii) the impact of lethal means reduction in reducing rates of completed suicides, and on best practices, separate and distinct from behavioral health treatment, that may impact suicide rates through the reduction of environmental safety risks;
(iii) the role of firearms, including firearms ownership and access to household firearms, in impacting rates of attempted and completed suicides;
(iv) strategies for discussions with patients, the patient's family or legal guardians concerning safety assessments and securing or removing firearms and other lethal means of suicide from the home during high risk periods; and
(v) other appropriate and relevant information, as determined by the board, for the purpose of the training.
The training module developed shall be accepted by the board as up to 2 continuing professional development credits.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 5o - Telehealth

Section 5O. (a) For purposes of this section ''telehealth'' shall mean the use of synchronous or asynchronous audio, video, electronic media or other telecommunications technology, including, but not limited to: (i) interactive audio-video technology; (ii) remote patient monitoring devices; (iii) audio-only telephone; and (iv) online adaptive interviews, for the purpose of evaluating, diagnosing, consulting, prescribing, treating or monitoring of a patient's physical health, oral health, mental health or substance use disorder condition.
(b) Notwithstanding any provision of this chapter to the contrary, the board shall allow a physician licensed by the board to obtain proxy credentialing and privileging for telehealth services with other health care providers, as defined in section 1 of chapter 111, or facilities that comply with the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services' conditions of participation for telehealth services.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 6 - Unauthorized or Unregistered Practice of Medicine; Penalties

Section 6. Except as provided in section sixty-five, whoever, not being lawfully authorized to practice medicine within the commonwealth and registered under section two, or corresponding provisions of earlier laws, or under section one or two of chapter five hundred and twenty-six of the acts of nineteen hundred and nine, holds himself out as a practitioner of medicine or practices or attempts to practice medicine in any of its branches, or whoever practices medicine under a false or assumed name or under a name other than that by which he is registered, or whoever personates another practitioner, or whoever practices or attempts to practice any fraud in connection with the filing of an application, or whoever files an application under a false or assumed name or under a name other than his own, or whoever personates or attempts to personate another applicant for registration during an examination, shall be punished by a fine of not less than one hundred nor more than one thousand dollars or by imprisonment for not less than one month nor more than one year, or both. A person rendering medical service in violation of this section shall recover no compensation therefor.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 7 - Application of Secs. 2 to 6 and Sec. 8

Section 7. Sections two to six, inclusive, and section eight shall not be held to discriminate against any particular school or system of medicine, to prohibit medical or surgical service in a case of emergency, or to prohibit the domestic administration of family remedies. They shall not apply to a professional nurse with appropriate education in the practice of the profession as defined by section eighty B; to a student of medicine as provided in section nine A, while engaged in the practice of medicine as authorized by said section; to a physician or surgeon resident in another state who is a legal practitioner therein, when in actual consultation with a legal practitioner of the commonwealth; to a physician authorized to practice medicine in another state, when he is called as the family physician to attend a person temporarily abiding in the commonwealth; to a physician authorized to practice medicine in another state or country, when he is providing medical services only to athletes or team personnel attending a sporting event sponsored by the United States Olympic Committee or a World Cup Organizing Committee; nor to registered pharmacists in prescribing gratuitously, clairvoyants or persons practicing hypnotism, magnetic healing, mind cure, massage, Christian Science or cosmopathic method of healing, if they do not violate any provisions of section six. Sections two and eight shall not apply to an intern or medical officer registered as provided in section nine, while engaged in the practice of medicine as authorized by said section.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 8 - Recording of Certificate of Registration as a Physician by City or Town Clerk; Fee; Records

Section 8. No person shall enter upon, or continue in, the practice of medicine within the commonwealth until he has presented to the clerk of the city or town where he has, or intends to have, an office or his usual place of business, his certificate of registration as a physician in the commonwealth, or, if it is lost, a certified statement issued by the board, setting forth all the material facts in the original certificate, and paying the fee provided by clause (58) of section thirty-four of chapter two hundred and sixty-two. Thereupon the clerk shall record the name of the owner of said certificate or certified statement, together with the date of record upon blanks, said blanks to be so arranged that a duplicate carbon copy shall be made at the time of the original record. He shall keep the original as a part of his official records and it shall be open to public inspection. Whoever practices or attempts to practice medicine without complying with this section, or whoever submits to a city or town clerk a false or fraudulent certificate or certified statement, shall be punished by a fine of not less than five nor more than one hundred dollars; and any city or town clerk who refuses or neglects to comply with this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than five nor more than ten dollars.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 8a - Use of Term ''physician'' in Title, Advertisement, etc.; Penalties

Section 8A. No person may, directly or indirectly, use the title ''physician'' or display or use the term physician in any title, advertisement, listing of affiliations, communication with the public or in any other manner to indicate or imply in any way that such person offers to engage or engages in the practice of medicine or in the provision of health care services to patients within the commonwealth who is not registered by the board of registration in medicine as a physician under section 2. This section shall not apply to use of the term ''chiropractic physician'' by individuals licensed and practicing under sections 89 to 97, inclusive, or the use of the term ''podiatric physician'' by individuals licensed and practicing under sections 13 to 22, inclusive, or the use of the term ''physician assistant'' by individuals licensed and practicing under sections 9C to 9K, inclusive. A person who violates this section shall be punished by a fine of not less than $100 and not more than $1,000 or by imprisonment for not less than 30 days and not more than 1 year in the house of corrections, or by both such fine and imprisonment.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9a - Medical Students; Limited Practice of Medicine Under Supervision

Section 9A. A student of medicine who has creditably completed not less than two years of study in a legally chartered medical school wherever located may practice medicine, but only under the supervision of an instructor in a legally chartered medical school, which instructor shall be a registered physician in the commonwealth and a duly appointed staff physician in the duly licensed hospital of not less than twenty-five beds, or an associated clinic, to which the student may be assigned. The board may, in its discretion from time to time, designate other facilities or locations in which said student may practice medicine under the conditions described above. Said students of medicine shall not sign certificates of births or deaths, nor prescribe or dispense narcotic drugs as defined in section one of chapter ninety-four C.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9b - Temporary Registration of Qualified Physician

Section 9B. Temporary registration as a qualified physician may be granted (1) to a visiting physician holding a license to practice in another state or territory or in the District of Columbia or in another country and having a temporary faculty appointment certified by the dean of a medical school in the commonwealth for purposes of medical education in an accredited hospital associated with the medical school, such registration to terminate automatically upon termination of the faculty appointment and, in any event, at the end of three years; (2) to a physician holding a license to practice in another state or territory or in the District of Columbia to permit him to act as a substitute physician for a registered physician in the commonwealth, to be granted only upon written request of said registered physician and to be limited to three months or less; (3) to a physician eligible for examination or registration in the commonwealth who is a diplomate of a specialty board approved by the American Medical Association or the American Osteopathic Association to permit him to act as a substitute physician for a registered physician in the commonwealth to be granted only upon written request of said registered physician, to be limited to the specialty in which the applicant is certified and to be limited to three months or less; (4) to a physician holding a license to practice in another state or territory or in the District of Columbia or in another country and enrolled in a course of continuing medical education, such registration to terminate automatically upon termination of the course and, in any event, at the end of three months. The fee for such temporary registration shall be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section three B of chapter seven.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9c - Definitions Applicable to Secs. 9c to 9k

Section 9C. As used in sections nine C to nine K, inclusive, the following words shall have the following meanings:
''Approved program'', a program for the education and training of physician assistants approved by the board.
''Board'', the board of registration of physician assistants.
''Health care facility'', any hospital, nursing home, extended care facility, state health or mental institution, clinic, physician's office or health maintenance organization licensed or otherwise operating legally within the commonwealth.
''Physician assistant,'' a person who is duly registered and licensed by the board.
''Physician assistant trainee'', a person enrolled in an approved program.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9d - Application of Secs. 9c to 9k

Section 9D. The provisions of sections nine C to nine K, inclusive, shall not apply to services performed in any of the following areas:
(a) The practice of dentistry or dental hygiene as defined in sections fifty and fifty-one.
(b) The practice of manipulative therapy or chiropractic.
(c) The measurement of the powers or range of human vision or the determination of the accommodation and refractive states of the human eye or the scope of its functions in general or the fitting or adaptation of lenses or frames for the aid thereof.
(d) The prescribing or directing the use of, or using, any optical device in connection with ocular exercises, visual training, vision training or orthoptics.
(e) The prescribing of contact lenses for, or the fitting or adaptation of contact lenses to, the human eye.
(f) The practice of podiatry as defined in section thirteen.
Nothing in clauses (c), (d), or (e) shall preclude the performance of routine visual screening by a physician assistant.
The provisions of sections nine C to nine K, inclusive, shall not apply to the practice of ophthalmology or to the use of trained assistants by ophthalmologists.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9e - Physician Assistants; Medical Services; Supervision; Legal Responsibility

Section 9E. Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a physician assistant may perform medical services when such services are rendered under the supervision of a registered physician. Such supervision shall be continuous but shall not require the personal presence of the supervising physician or physicians.
Physician assistants, depending upon their level of professional training and experience as determined by a supervising physician, may perform medical services of a general nature and may order tests and therapeutics in assisting physicians in private practice, in group practices or in health care facilities, consistent with any applicable bylaws and policies of such facilities.
A physician assistant may order therapeutics and tests and issue written prescriptions for patients subject to the provisions of paragraph (g) of section seven of chapter ninety-four C.
If a physician assistant is employed by a physician or group of physicians, the assistant shall be supervised by and shall be the legal responsibility of the employing physician or physicians. The legal responsibility of such assistant shall remain that of the employing physician or physicians at all times including occasions when the assistant, under the direction and supervision of the employing physician or physicians, aids in the care and treatment of patients in health care facilities.
If a physician assistant is employed by a health care facility, the legal responsibility for his actions and omissions shall be that of the employing facility. Such physician assistants shall be supervised by registered physicians. Such physician assistants employed by health care facilities shall not be utilized as the sole medical personnel in charge of emergency or outpatient services or any other clinical service where a physician is not regularly available.
Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a physician assistant trainee may perform medical services when such services are rendered within the scope of a program approved under section nine K.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9f - Board of Registration of Physician Assistants; Duties

Section 9F. The board shall register and issue certificates of registration to physician assistants in the commonwealth, take appropriate disciplinary action against physician assistants, approve and issue certificates of approval of programs for the training of physician assistants and maintain a current roster of persons serving as physician assistants in the commonwealth as well as a list of approved training programs.
The board shall require as a condition of granting or renewing a physician assistant's certificate of registration that the physician assistant apply to participate in the medical assistance program administered by the secretary of health and human services in accordance with chapter 118E and Title XIX of the Social Security Act and any federal demonstration or waiver relating to such medical assistance program for the limited purpose of ordering and referring services covered under the program if regulations governing such limited participation are promulgated under chapter 118E.
The board shall adopt, amend and rescind such rules and regulations, not inconsistent with other provisions of the General Laws, as it deems necessary to carry out the provisions of this chapter. The board may, in consultation with the board of registration in medicine, and consistent with the authority of the board of registration in medicine over the supervising physician and the practice of medicine, adopt rules and regulations governing the practice and employment of physician assistants in order to promote the public health, safety and welfare.
The board shall require that any continuing education requirements necessary for the renewal of a physician assistants certificate of registration include the 1–time completion of a course of training and education on the diagnosis, treatment and care of patients with cognitive impairments, including, but not limited to, Alzheimer's disease and dementia; provided, however, that such course requirement shall only apply to physician assistants who serve adult populations.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9g - Record of Registered Physician Assistants and Programs; Annual Report

Section 9G. The board shall keep a record of the names and addresses of all persons registered by it and all programs approved by it and a duplicate thereof shall be open to inspection in the office of the state secretary. The board shall make an annual report on the status of physician assistants in the commonwealth to the governor and the general court.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9i - Registration of Physician Assistants; Applications; Requirements

Section 9I. All persons serving as physician assistants in the commonwealth shall register with the board by March first, nineteen hundred and ninety-one and every two years thereafter. Applications for registration shall be submitted in accordance with procedures established by the board.
Each applicant shall furnish the board with satisfactory proof of graduation from a training program approved by the board, having received a bachelor's degree or higher from an accredited college or university or an equivalent approved by the board, and having passed the certifying examination of the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants or other such certifying examination as specified or administered by the board. Persons practicing as physician assistants on January first, nineteen hundred and ninety shall be exempt from the requirement of a bachelor's degree. Subject to such rules and regulations as the board may prescribe, an applicant who otherwise meets the qualifications for registration may, while awaiting the results of the certification examination, practice as a physician assistant. An applicant failing such examination shall be entitled to a re-examination within two years of graduation and to practice as a physician assistant until notified of the results of said examination. Thereafter, an applicant may not practice as a physician assistant without having passed the certification examination.
Each application shall be accompanied by payment of a license fee to be determined by the commissioner of administration under the provisions of section three B of chapter seven. An applicant shall submit such proof as required by the board as to the applicant's good moral character. Each applicant shall provide the board with a current office address and the name and address of any supervising physician.
Every physician assistant shall register biennially with the board. A physician assistant seeking to re-register shall satisfy those requirements of continuing education established by the board by rule and regulation. A registered physician assistant shall promptly notify the board of any change in employment, change of supervising physician or departure from the commonwealth.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9j - Unauthorized Use of Title of Physician Assistant; Fraud

Section 9J. Whoever, not being lawfully registered as a physician assistant in the commonwealth in accordance with sections nine C to nine K, inclusive, holds himself out as a physician assistant or uses the title of physician assistant or whoever impersonates another physician assistant or whoever practices or attempts to practice any fraud in connection with the filing of an application or whoever files an application under a false or assumed name or under a name other than his own or whoever impersonates or attempts to impersonate another applicant for registration during an examination, shall be punished by a fine of not less than two hundred dollars. The board may also bring a petition in superior court to enjoin such actions or any other violation of this chapter or regulations of the board.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 9k - Approval of Education and Training Programs for Physician Assistants

Section 9K. The board shall issue certificates of approval of programs for the education and training of physician assistants which meet the standards established by the board. The board, in developing criteria for approved programs and in approving such programs may accept as approved programs those that have been certified by a nationally recognized accrediting agency or organization.
The board shall adopt regulations concerning the quality of education and clinical training to be received by a physician assistant trainee and the supervision of a physician assistant trainee.
The board shall encourage the development of continuing education for physician assistants and shall have the authority to adopt rules and regulations as to the type and amount of continuing education required for recertification. The board may periodically review the quality of the curriculum, faculty and the facilities of approved programs.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 11 - Prohibition of Certain Acts by Osteopaths

Section 11. No person now registered as an osteopath under section one or two of chapter five hundred and twenty-six of the acts of nineteen hundred and nine shall prescribe or administer drugs for internal use, perform major operations in surgery, engage in the practice of obstetrics, or hold himself out, by virtue of such registration, as and for other than an osteopath. Violation hereof shall be punished by the penalty provided in section six.
2023 Massachusetts General Laws › Part I - Administration of the Government › Title XVI - Public Health › Chapter 112 - Registration of Certain Professions and Occupations › Section 12 - Disclosure of Information Relative to Venereal Disease by Registered Physician

Section 12. Any registered physician or surgeon who knows or has reason to believe that any person is infected with a venereal disease as defined under section six of chapter one hundred and eleven may disclose such information to any person from whom the infected person has received a promise of marriage or to the parent or guardian of such person if a minor. Such information given in good faith by a registered physician or surgeon shall not constitute a slander or libel.