Oregon Governor Signs Legislation Replacing Physician Supervision with Collaborative Practice Environment

New Law Modernizes PA Practice, Makes PAs Responsible for the Care They Provide

June 28, 2021

“With the enactment of this bill, our profession becomes more on par with other providers and positions PAs to remain key providers of healthcare services into the future,” said OSPA president Ben Johnson, PA-C.

Under the new law, PAs are required to enter into a collaboration agreement with a physician or employer that generally describes how the PA collaborates with physicians. PAs with less than 2,000 hours of experience are required to collaborate with a physician in person and electronically for a minimum number of hours monthly.

Oregon PAs are pleased to see the removal of several burdensome provisions including ratio restrictions, requirements for board approval of supervising physicians, submission of practice agreements to the board, and physician names on PA prescriptions. The bill also repeals requirements regarding PA dispensing, including requiring physicians to apply for PA dispensing authority, submit annual reports on each PA’s dispensing, and submit a list of drugs the PA is authorized to dispense. The law now requires PAs to register with the Oregon Medical Board to dispense drugs and agreements are kept on file at the practice location.

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Additionally, HB 3036 includes permanent changes to PA use of telehealth that were authorized during the pandemic. The law allows PAs to use telehealth to treat patients located in another state by adding PAs to provisions addressing the practice of medicine across state lines where PAs were previously omitted and allows the state’s medical board to issue an out-of-state-PA license.

AAPA applauds OSPA’s hard work to advance the PA profession in Oregon. AAPA provided ongoing strategic counsel and support throughout this multi-year legislative effort. The bill is effective on passage and becomes operative July 15, 2022. For additional information on HB 3036, the full version of the bill is available here on the Oregon Legislature’s website.

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