What's happening
This bill clarifies supervision limits for physician assistants and specifies that certain medical service requirements remain unchanged.
Why it matters
Clarifies that a physician may supervise, but not necessarily employ, up to four physician assistants at any one time in private practice. this could affect how medical practices staff and structure their teams, potentially increasing flexibility for both physicians and physician assistants.
Specifies that physicians working with the Department of Corrections and Community Supervision can supervise up to six physician assistants at any one time. this ensures that correctional facilities can maintain or adjust medical staffing levels as needed for inmate healthcare.
Explicitly states that these changes do not alter existing requirements concerning the quality or conditions of medical services provided by physician assistants. patients and providers can be reassured that supervision ratio changes do not impact standards of care or the scope of services physician assistants are allowed to perform.
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Headline styles
Limit Physician Assistant Supervision
Plain English, a few words. Used as the page title.
Sponsors
2 Co-sponsors
History
- Committed to rules
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
- 1st report cal.528
- Referred to higher education
- Returned to senate
- Died in assembly
- Referred to higher education
- Delivered to assembly
- Passed senateVote 62–0
- Advanced to third reading
- 2nd report cal.
Show 2 earlier actions
- 1st report cal.692
- Referred to higher education
Companion bill
The same bill in the other chamber. A bill becomes law when one version passes both houses and the governor signs it, so either number can carry it.
Limit Physician Assistant Supervision
In Assembly Committee · Higher Education · Sponsor Richard Gottfried
Full text
1 pageUnderlined is new[Struck] is removedOfficial text on nysenate.gov ↗
STATE OF NEW YORK
1797
2019-2020 Regular Sessions
IN SENATE
January 16, 2019
Introduced by Sen. RIVERA -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education
AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to the employment and supervision of physician assistants
The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assembly, do enact as follows:
Section 1. Subdivisions 3 and 5 of section 6542 of the education law, as amended by section 1 of part T of chapter 57 of the laws of 2013, are amended and a new subdivision 8 is added to read as follows:
3. No physician shall [employ or] supervise more than four physician assistants at any one time in his or her private practice.
5. Notwithstanding any other provision of this article, nothing shall prohibit a physician employed by or rendering services to the department of corrections and community supervision under contract from supervising no more than six physician assistants at any one time in his or her practice for the department of corrections and community supervision.
8. Nothing in subdivision three or five of this section shall be construed to modify the conditions relating to the performance of medical services required under subdivision one of this section.
§ 2. This act shall take effect on the first of January next succeeding the date on which it shall have become a law. Effective immediately, any rules and regulations necessary to implement the provisions of this act on its effective date are authorized to be added, amended and/or repealed on or before such date.
EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets
[ ] is old law to be omitted.
LBD03579-01-9
Reflowed for reading: line numbers and page breaks removed. Cite the official text.
Sponsor's memo
Title of bill
An act to amend the education law, in relation to the employment and supervision of physician assistants
Purpose
To clarify that the limitation on the number of physician assistants that may be supervised by a particular physician is specifically at any one time.
Summary of provisions
This bill amends Education Law § 6542 to delete the limitation on the number of physician assistants (PAs) who may be employed by a particular physician, and clarify that the limitations on supervision is specif- ically related to any one time.
Justification
PAs must practice under the supervision of a physician, and New York law limits the number of PAs one physician may supervise: 4 PAs per physi- cian in an office setting, 6 PAs per physician in a correctional setting, and 6 PAs per physician in a hospital setting.
In the modem practice of team based coordinated care, fewer PAs are actually employed by the physician supervising their activities, and more PAs are engaged in job-sharing, as approved by the Office for Professional Medical Conduct since 2002. It makes sense to clarify that the limitations on supervision are contemporaneous so that physicians can better plan and coordinate patient care. This legislation will increase access to primary care, and increase efficiencies in the vari- ous practice settings.
Legislative history
2015-2016: S.4717B - Passed Senate, died in Assembly (both years)
2013-2014: S.5700-A Passed Senate, died in Assembly (both years)
Fiscal implications
None.
Effective date
January 1st next succeeding enactment.
Summaries, headlines and scores are AI-generated from the official bill text. How we score bills. Source: NYS Open Legislation.