Code of Massachusetts Regulations › 263 CMR - BOARD OF REGISTRATION OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS › Title 263 CMR 5.00 - Scope of Practice, Employment of Physician Assistants and Standards of Conduct › Section 5.04 - Scope of Supervision Required

Current through Register 1525, July 5, 2024
(1) All professional activities of a
			 physician assistant must be supervised by a supervising physician licensed by
			 the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine pursuant to
			 243 CMR
			 2.08:
Physician Assistants
.
			 A "supervising physician", for purposes of 263 CMR 5.04, shall mean a physician
			 who holds an unrestricted full license issued by the Massachusetts Board of
			 Registration in Medicine.
(2) A
			 supervising physician may use a physician assistant to assist him or her in the
			 process of gathering data necessary to make decisions and institute patient
			 care plans. A physician assistant shall not, however, supplant a licensed
			 physician as the principal medical decision-maker.
(3) A supervising physician shall afford
			 supervision adequate to ensure all of the following:
(a) The physician assistant practices
			 medicine in accordance with accepted standards of medical practice. 263 CMR
			 5.04(1) does not require the physical presence of the supervising physician in
			 every situation in which a physician assistant renders medical
			 services.
(b) The physician
			 assistant, except in life-threatening emergencies where no licensed physician
			 is available, informs each patient that he or she is a physician assistant and
			 that he or she renders medical services only under the supervision of a
			 licensed physician.
(c) The
			 physician assistant wears a name tag which identifies him or her as a physician
			 assistant.
(d) The supervising
			 physician reviews diagnostic and treatment information, as agreed upon by the
			 supervising physician and the physician assistant, in a timely manner
			 consistent with the patient's medical condition.
(e) On follow-up care, hospital visits,
			 nursing home visits, attending the chronically ill at home, and in similar
			 circumstances in which the supervising physician has established a therapeutic
			 regimen or other written protocol, the physician assistant checks and records a
			 patient's progress and reports the patient's progress to the supervising
			 physician. Supervision is adequate under 263 CMR 5.04(3)(e) if it permits a
			 physician assistant who encounters a new problem not covered by a written
			 protocol or which exceeds established parameters to initiate a new patient care
			 plan and consult with the supervising physician.
(f) In an emergency, the physician assistant
			 renders emergency medical services necessary to avoid disability or death of an
			 injured person until a licensed physician arrives.
(g) When a supervising physician is unable or
			 unavailable to be the principal medical decision-maker, another licensed
			 physician must be designated to assume temporary supervisory responsibilities
			 with respect to the physician assistant. The name and scope of responsibility
			 of the physician providing such temporary supervision must be readily
			 ascertainable from records kept in the ordinary course of business which are
			 available to patients. The supervising physician(s) of record is ultimately
			 responsible for ensuring that each task performed by a physician assistant is
			 properly supervised.