BILL ANALYSIS |
C.S.H.B. 2546 |
By: Zerwas |
Business & Industry |
Committee Report (Substituted) |
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE
Interested parties contend that, although the workers' compensation system allows for the treatment of injured workers by a physician assistant, such an assistant is not currently authorized to complete and sign work status reports regarding an injured employee's ability to return to work. C.S.H.B. 2546 seeks to increase efficiency within the workers' compensation system by authorizing a licensed physician assistant to complete and sign such reports.
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CRIMINAL JUSTICE IMPACT
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly create a criminal offense, increase the punishment for an existing criminal offense or category of offenses, or change the eligibility of a person for community supervision, parole, or mandatory supervision.
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RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
It is the committee's opinion that this bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, department, agency, or institution.
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ANALYSIS
C.S.H.B. 2546 amends the Labor Code to authorize a treating doctor to delegate the authority to complete and sign a work status report regarding an injured employee's ability to return to work to a licensed physician assistant. The bill makes the delegating treating doctor responsible for the acts of the physician assistant under the bill's provisions.
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EFFECTIVE DATE
On passage, or, if the bill does not receive the necessary vote, September 1, 2017.
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COMPARISON OF ORIGINAL AND SUBSTITUTE
While C.S.H.B. 2546 may differ from the original in minor or nonsubstantive ways, the following comparison is organized and formatted in a manner that indicates the substantial differences between the introduced and committee substitute versions of the bill.
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