HBA-CCH H.B. 2210 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2210 By: Farabee Public Health 3/8/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Current law implies, but does not explicitly stipulate that a physician assistant is the medical agent of a supervising physician. This current ambiguity creates administrative barriers by causing ill or injured patients who have been evaluated by a physician assistant to wait for a physician to sign the relevant medical documents. House Bill 2210 defines physician assistants as the medical agents of a supervising physician, thus allowing them to perform the administrative work necessary to complete an evaluation of a patient. RULEMAKING AUTHORITY It is the opinion of the Office of House Bill Analysis that this bill does not expressly delegate any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution. ANALYSIS House Bill 2210 amends the Occupations Code to provide that a physician assistant is the agent of a supervising physician for any medical service delegated by that physician that is within the physician assistant's established scope of practice, and that is delineated by protocols, practice guidelines, or practice directives established by the supervising physician. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.