HBA-NRS H.B. 2209 77(R) BILL ANALYSIS Office of House Bill AnalysisH.B. 2209 By: Farabee Public Health 3/8/2001 Introduced BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Under current law, physician assistants working under the supervision of a physician are limited to administering, providing, or carrying out a medical order from a licensed physician in the physician's primary practice site. This has limited the ability of supervising physicians and physician assistants to provide health care services to patients. House Bill 2209 expands the caregiving ability of physicians to allow physicians to delegate certain duties to physician assistants or advanced practice nurses at a qualified alternate practice site that is separate from the physician's primary practice site. 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 2209 amends the Occupations Code to authorize a physician licensed by the Texas State Board of Medical Examiners (board) to delegate to a physician assistant or an advanced practice nurse acting under adequate physician supervision the act of administering, providing, or carrying out or signing a prescription drug order as authorized through a physician's order, a standing medical order, a standing delegation order, or another order or protocol as defined by the board at a qualified alternate practice site. The bill prohibits a physician from establishing more than one qualified alternate practice site by filing with the board an application prescribed by the board and provides that the site be located within 60 miles of the physician's primary practice. The bill sets forth standards for maintaining an alternate practice site's qualification. EFFECTIVE DATE September 1, 2001.