Chapter 0178 - 501R - S Ver of SB1030

Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:

Section 1. Section 32-2504, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE32-2504. Powers and duties; subcommittees

A. The board shall:

1. As its primary duty, protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified, impaired or unprofessional physician assistants.

2. License and regulate physician assistants pursuant to this chapter.

3. Order and evaluate physical, psychological, psychiatric and competency testing of licensees and applicants the board determines is necessary to enforce this chapter.

4. Review the credentials and the abilities of applicants for licensure whose professional records or physical or mental capabilities may not meet the requirements of this chapter.

5. Initiate investigations and determine on its own motion if a licensee has engaged in unprofessional conduct or is or may be incompetent or mentally or physically unable to safely perform health care tasks.

6. Establish fees and penalties pursuant to section 32‑2526.

7. Develop and recommend standards governing the profession.

8. Engage in the full exchange of information with the licensing and disciplinary boards and professional associations of other states and jurisdictions of the United States and foreign countries and a statewide association for physician assistants.

9. Direct the preparation and circulation of educational material the board determines is helpful and proper for its licensees.

10. Discipline and rehabilitate physician assistants pursuant to this chapter.

11. Certify physician assistants for fourteen thirty day prescription privileges for schedule II or schedule III controlled substances if the physician assistant:

(a) Within the preceding three years of application, completed forty‑five hours in pharmacology or clinical management of drug therapy or at the time of application is certified by a national commission on the certification of physician assistants or its successor.

(b) Met any other requirement established by board rule.

B. The board may make and adopt rules necessary or proper for the administration of this chapter.

C. The chairperson may establish subcommittees consisting of board members and define their duties as the chairperson deems necessary to carry out the functions of the board.

D. Board employees, including the executive director, temporary personnel and professional medical investigators, are immune from civil liability for good faith actions they take to enforce this chapter.

E. In performing its duties pursuant to subsection A of this section, the board may receive and review staff reports on complaints, malpractice cases and all investigations. END_STATUTE

Sec. 2. Section 32-2532, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE32-2532. Prescribing, administering and dispensing drugs; limits and requirements; notice

A. Except as provided in subsection F of this section, a physician assistant shall not prescribe, dispense or administer:

1. A schedule II or schedule III controlled substance as defined in the federal controlled substances act of 1970 (P.L. 91‑513; 84 Stat. 1242; 21 United States Code section 802) without delegation by the supervising physician, board approval and drug enforcement administration registration.

2. A schedule IV or schedule V controlled substance as defined in the federal controlled substances act of 1970 without drug enforcement administration registration and delegation by the supervising physician.

3. Prescription‑only medication without delegation by the supervising physician.

4. Prescription medication intended to perform or induce an abortion.

B. All prescription orders issued by a physician assistant shall contain the name, address and telephone number of the supervising physician. A physician assistant shall issue prescription orders for controlled substances under the physician assistant's own drug enforcement administration registration number.

C. Unless certified for fourteen thirty day prescription privileges pursuant to section 32‑2504, subsection A, a physician assistant shall not prescribe a schedule II or schedule III controlled substance for a period exceeding seventy‑two hours. For each schedule IV or schedule V controlled substance, a physician assistant may not prescribe the controlled substance more than five times in a six month period for each patient.

D. A prescription for a schedule II or III controlled substance is not refillable without the written consent of the supervising physician.

E. Prescription‑only drugs shall not be dispensed, prescribed or refillable for a period exceeding one year.

F. Except in an emergency, a physician assistant may dispense schedule II or schedule III controlled substances for a period of use of not to exceed seventy‑two hours with board approval or any other controlled substance for a period of use of not to exceed thirty‑four days and may administer controlled substances without board approval if it is medically indicated in an emergency dealing with potential loss of life or limb or major acute traumatic pain.

G. Except for samples provided by manufacturers, all drugs dispensed by a physician assistant shall be:

1. Prepackaged in a unit‑of‑use package by the supervising physician or a pharmacist acting on a written order of the supervising physician.

2. Labeled to show the name of the supervising physician and physician assistant.

H. A physician assistant shall not obtain a drug from any source other than the supervising physician or a pharmacist acting on a written order of the supervising physician. A physician assistant may receive manufacturers' samples if allowed to do so by the supervising physician.

I. If a physician assistant is approved by the board to prescribe, administer or dispense schedule II and schedule III controlled substances, the physician assistant shall maintain an up‑to‑date and complete log of all schedule II and schedule III controlled substances he administers or dispenses.

J. The board shall advise the state board of pharmacy and the United States drug enforcement administration of all physician assistants who are authorized to prescribe or dispense drugs and any modification of their authority.

K. The state board of pharmacy shall notify all pharmacies at least quarterly of physician assistants who are authorized to prescribe or dispense drugs. END_STATUTE

Sec. 3. Section 32-2533, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:

START_STATUTE32-2533. Supervising physician; responsibilities

A. A supervising physician is responsible for all aspects of the performance of a physician assistant, whether or not the supervising physician actually pays the physician assistant a salary. The supervising physician is responsible for supervising the physician assistant and ensuring that the health care tasks performed by a physician assistant are within the physician assistant's scope of training and experience and have been properly delegated by the supervising physician.

B. Each physician-physician assistant team must ensure that:

1. The physician assistant's scope of practice is identified.

2. The delegation of medical tasks is appropriate to the physician assistant's level of competence.

3. The relationship of, and access to, the supervising physician is defined.

4. A process for evaluation of the physician assistant's performance is established.

C. A supervising physician shall not supervise more than four physician assistants who work at the same time.

D. A supervising physician shall develop a system for recordation and review of all instances in which the physician assistant prescribes fourteen day prescriptions of schedule II or schedule III controlled substances. END_STATUTE

Sec. 4. Physician assistants; prescribing authority

The Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants shall consider all records of delegation of fourteen day prescription privileges for schedule II or schedule III controlled substances by a supervising physician that are in effect before the effective date of this act to reflect the change to the thirty day delegation pursuant to this act, unless the supervising physician withdraws the delegation.