Section 18.122. Definitions

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.

Written agreement—The agreement between the physician assistant and supervising physician, which satisfies the requirements of § 18.142 (relating to written agreements).

The provisions of this § 18.122 amended August 13, 1993, effective August 14, 1993, 23 Pa.B. 3780; amended November 17, 2006, effective November 18, 2006, 36 Pa.B. 7009; amended January 31, 2014, effective February 1, 2014, 44 Pa.B. 583. Immediately preceding text appears at serial pages (323418) to (323420).

Notation

Authority

The provisions of this § 18.122 amended under sections 8, 8.1, 13, 13.1(c) and 36 of the Medical Practice Act of 1985 (63 P. S. § § 422.8, 422.8a, 422.13, 422.13a(c) and 422.36).