2023 Louisiana Laws › Revised Statutes › Title 37 - Professions and Occupations › §37:1360.31. Services performed by physician assistants

RS 37:1360.31 - Services performed by physician assistants
A.(1) A physician assistant performs medical services when such services are rendered under the supervision of a supervising physician. A physician assistant may perform those duties and responsibilities that are delegated to him by his supervising physician. A physician assistant is considered to be and is deemed the agent of his supervising physician in the performance of all practice-related activities, including but not limited to assisting in surgery and the ordering and interpretation of diagnostic and other medical services. The level and method of supervision shall be at the physician and physician assistant level, shall be documented and reviewed annually, and shall reflect the acuity of the patient care and the nature of a procedure. A physician assistant shall not practice without supervision except in life-threatening emergencies and in emergency situations such as man-made and natural disaster relief efforts.
(2) A physician assistant may inject local anesthetic agents subcutaneously, including digital blocks or apply topical anesthetic agents when delegated to do so by a supervising physician. However, nothing in this Part shall otherwise permit a physician assistant to administer local anesthetics perineurally, pericurally, epidurally, intrathecally, or intravenously unless such physician assistant is a certified registered nurse anesthetist and meets the requirements in R.S. 37:930.
B. The practice of a physician assistant shall include the performance of medical services within the scope of his education, training, and experience, which are delegated by the supervising physician.
C.(1) A physician assistant may prescribe, order, and administer drugs to the extent delegated by the supervising physician except as provided pursuant to R.S. 37:930 relative to anesthetics. Drugs which may be prescribed, ordered, and administered by a physician assistant or a health care professional licensed pursuant to Chapter 12 of this Title are those listed in Schedules II, III, IV, and V of R.S. 40:964 and legend drugs, which are defined as any drug or drug product bearing on the label of the manufacturer or distributor, as required by the Food and Drug Administration, the statement "Caution: Federal law prohibits dispensing without a prescription". A physician assistant authorized to prescribe controlled substances shall register with the United States Drug Enforcement Administration.
(2)(a) A physician assistant shall meet all of the following qualifications to be eligible to apply for prescriptive authority:
(i) Have completed a minimum of five hundred clinical training hours prior to graduation from an approved physician assistant educational program.
(ii) Hold a current license issued by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners.
(iii) Be authorized to prescribe as delegated by the supervising physician.
(iv) Apply for a controlled dangerous substance license from the Louisiana Board of Pharmacy and register with the United States Drug Enforcement Agency, if delegated authority to prescribe Schedule II, III, IV, or V drugs by the supervising physician.
(b) The board shall not impose any qualifications for a physician assistant's prescriptive authority, in addition to those set forth in this Paragraph, through administrative rulemaking.
(3) A physician assistant may request, receive, and sign for sample drugs and may distribute sample drugs to a patient.
(4) A physician assistant may provide medication-assisted treatment (MAT), as authorized by the United States Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration and in accordance with rules promulgated by the board. At a minimum, rules promulgated by the board shall include a requirement that in order for the physician assistant to provide MAT, his supervising physician shall also be authorized and in compliance with all federal and state laws and rules authorizing the provision of MAT. For purposes of this Paragraph, "MAT" means the use of medications with counseling and behavioral therapies to treat substance use disorders and prevent opioid overdose.
D. The activities listed in this Section may be performed in any setting authorized by the supervising physician including but not limited to clinics, hospitals, ambulatory surgical centers, patient homes, nursing homes, other institutional settings, and health manpower shortage areas.
Acts 1993, No. 662, §1, eff. June 16, 1993; Acts 1995, No. 879, §1; Acts 1997, No. 316, §1; Acts 2004, No. 10, §1; Acts 2015, No. 453, §1, eff. July 1, 2015; Acts 2018, No. 475, §1; Acts 2019, No. 276, §1; Acts 2019, No. 414, §1; Acts 2022, No. 271, §2.