Pennsylvania Code › Title 49 - PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL STANDARDS › Part I - DEPARTMENT OF STATE › Subpart A - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS › Chapter 18 - STATE BOARD OF › Subchapter D - PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS › GENERAL PROVISIONS › Section 18.122 - Definitions

Current through Register Vol. 54, No. 28, July 13, 2024
The following words and terms, when used in this
						  subchapter, have the following meanings, unless the context clearly indicates
						  otherwise:
ARC-PA
-The Accreditation Review
						  Commission.
Administration
-The direct application
						  of a drug, whole blood, blood components, diagnostic procedure or device,
						  whether by injection, inhalation, ingestion, skin application or other means,
						  into the body of a patient.
CAAHEP
-The Commission for
						  Accreditation of Allied Health Educational Programs.
CAHEA
-The Committee on Allied Health
						  Education and Accreditation.
Device
-An instrument or tool necessary
						  in the administration of medication or medical care.
Dispense
-To deliver a drug or device
						  to or for an ultimate user for limited or continuing use.
Drug
-A term used to describe a
						  medication, device or agent which a physician assistant prescribes or dispenses
						  under §
												18.158 (relating to prescribing
						  and dispensing drugs, pharmaceutical aids and devices).
Emergency medical care setting
-
(i) A health care setting which is
						established to provide emergency medical care as its primary purpose.
(ii) The term does not include a setting
						which provides general or specialized medical services that are not routinely
						emergency in nature even though that setting provides emergency medical care
						from time to time.
Medical care facility
-An entity
						  licensed or approved to render health care services.
Medical regimen
-A therapeutic,
						  corrective or diagnostic measure performed or ordered by a physician, or
						  performed or ordered by a physician assistant acting within the physician
						  assistant's scope of practice, and in accordance with the written agreement
						  between the supervising physician and the physician assistant.
Medical service
-An activity which lies
						  within the scope of the practice of medicine and surgery.
NCCPA
-The National Commission on
						  Certification of Physician Assistants, the organization recognized by the Board
						  to certify and recertify physician assistants by requiring continuing education
						  and examination.
Order
-An oral or written directive for
						  a therapeutic, corrective or diagnostic measure, including a drug to be
						  dispensed for onsite administration in a hospital, medical care facility or
						  office setting.
Physician
-A medical doctor or doctor
						  of osteopathic medicine.
Physician assistant
-An individual who
						  is licensed as a physician assistant by the Board.
Physician assistant examination
-An
						  examination to test whether an individual has accumulated sufficient academic
						  knowledge to qualify for licensure as a physician assistant. The Board
						  recognizes the certifying examination of the NCCPA.
Physician assistant program
-A program
						  for the training and education of physician assistants which is recognized by
						  the Board and accredited by the CAHEA, the CAAHEP, ARC-PA or a successor
						  agency.
Prescription
-
(i) A written or oral order for a drug or
						device to be dispensed to or for an ultimate user.
(ii) The term does not include an order for a
						drug which is dispensed for immediate administration to the ultimate user; for
						example, an order to dispense a drug to a patient for immediate administration
						in an office or hospital is not a prescription.
Primary supervising physician
-A
						  medical doctor who is registered with the Board and designated in the written
						  agreement as having primary responsibility for directing and personally
						  supervising the physician assistant.
Satellite location
-A location, other
						  than the primary place at which the supervising physician provides medical
						  services to patients, where a physician assistant provides medical
						  services.
Substitute supervising physician
-A
						  supervising physician who is registered with the Board and designated in the
						  written agreement as assuming primary responsibility for a physician assistant
						  when the primary supervising physician is unavailable.
Supervising physician
-Each physician
						  who is identified in a written agreement as a physician who supervises a
						  physician assistant.
Supervision
-
(i) Oversight and personal direction of, and
						responsibility for, the medical services rendered by a physician assistant. The
						constant physical presence of the supervising physician is not required so long
						as the supervising physician and the physician assistant are, or can be, easily
						in contact with each other by radio, telephone or other telecommunications
						device.
(ii) An appropriate degree
						of supervision includes:
(A) Active and
						continuing overview of the physician assistant's activities to determine that
						the physician's directions are being implemented.
(B) Immediate availability of the supervising
						physician to the physician assistant for necessary consultations.
(C) Personal and regular review within 10
						days by the supervising physician of the patient records upon which entries are
						made by the physician assistant.