Law Number

21 NCAC 32S.0219

Summary Title

Limited License: Physician Assistant During Emergency

Summary

When an emergency declaration is in effect, a physician assistant can obtain a limited license for disasters and emergencies by submitting proof of current licensure, in good standing, along with a government-issued photo ID to the North Carolina Medical Board. The physician assistant must be supervised by a North Carolina licensed physician on site and can perform only uncompensated services and acts delegated by the physician. Neither the physician nor the physician assistant needs to keep documentation describing the supervisory arrangement or prescriptive authority.

Full Title

LIMITED PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT LICENSE FOR DISASTERS AND EMERGENCIES

Full Text

(a) The Board shall, pursuant to G.S. 90-12.5, issue a limited physician assistant license under the following conditions: (1) the Governor of the State of North Carolina has declared a disaster or state of emergency, or in the event of an occurrence for which a county or municipality has enacted an ordinance to deal with states of emergency under G.S. 14-288.12, 14-288.13, or 14-288.14, or to protect the public health, safety or welfare of its citizens under Article 22 of Chapter 130A of the General Statutes, G.S. 160A-174(a) or G.S. 153A-121(a); (2) the applicant provides government-issued photo identification; (3) the applicant provides proof of licensure, certification or authorization to practice as a physician assistant in another state, the District of Columbia, US Territory or Canadian province; (4) applicant affirms under oath that such license is in good standing; and (5) no grounds exist pursuant to G.S. 90-14(a) for the Board to deny a license. (b) In response to the specific circumstances presented by a declared disaster or state of emergency and in order to best serve the public interest, the Board may limit the physician assistant's scope of practice including, but not limited to, the following: geography; term; type of practice; prescribing, administering and dispensing therapeutic measures, tests, procedures and drugs; supervision; and practice setting. (c) The physician assistant must practice under the direct supervision of an on-site physician. The supervising physician must be licensed in this State or approved to practice in this State during a disaster or state of emergency pursuant to G.S. 90-12.5 and 21 NCAC 32B .1705. The physician assistant may perform only those medical acts, tasks, and functions delegated by the supervising physician and not limited by the physician assistant's scope of practice as set out in Paragraph (b) of this Rule. (d) A team of physician(s) and physician assistant(s) practicing pursuant to this Rule is not required to maintain on-site documentation describing supervisory arrangements and instructions for prescriptive authority as otherwise required by 21 NCAC 32S .0213. (e) A physician assistant holding a Limited Physician Assistant License for Disasters and Emergencies shall not receive any other or additional compensation outside his or her usual compensation, either direct or indirect, monetary, in-kind, or otherwise for the provision of medical services during a disaster or emergency.

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