Bill Text: AZ HB2134 | 2025 | Fifty-seventh Legislature 1st Regular | Engrossed
Bill Title: Physician assistants; qualifications
Spectrum: Partisan Bill (Republican 3-0)
Status: (Introduced) 2025-02-27 - House Committee of the Whole action: Do Pass Amended [HB2134 Detail]
Download: Arizona-2025-HB2134-Engrossed.html
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House Engrossed
physician assistants; qualifications |
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State of Arizona House of Representatives Fifty-seventh Legislature First Regular Session 2025
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HOUSE BILL 2134 |
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An Act
amending sections 32-2504 and 32-2521, Arizona Revised Statutes; relating to the Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants.
(TEXT OF BILL BEGINS ON NEXT PAGE)
Be it enacted by the Legislature of the State of Arizona:
Section 1. Section 32-2504, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
32-2504. Powers and duties; delegation of authority; rules; subcommittees; immunity
A. The board shall:
1. As its primary duty, protect the public from unlawful, incompetent, unqualified, impaired or unprofessional physician assistants.
2. License only those physician assistant applicants who meet all of the requirements of this chapter and regulate physician assistants pursuant to this chapter.
3. Order and evaluate physical, psychological, psychiatric and competency testing of licensees and applicants as the board determines is necessary to enforce this chapter.
4. Review the credentials and the abilities of applicants for licensure who meet all other licensing requirements of this chapter but whose professional records or physical or mental capabilities may not meet the requirements of this chapter.
5. Initiate investigations and determine on its own motion whether a licensee has engaged in unprofessional conduct or is or may be incompetent or mentally or physically unable to safely perform health care tasks.
6. Establish fees and penalties pursuant to section 32-2526.
7. Develop and recommend standards governing the profession.
8. Engage in the full exchange of information with the physician assistant licensing and disciplinary boards and professional associations of other states and jurisdictions of the United States and foreign countries and a statewide association for physician assistants.
9. Direct the preparation and circulation of educational material the board determines is helpful and proper for its licensees.
10. Discipline and rehabilitate physician assistants pursuant to this chapter.
11. Certify physician assistants for thirty-day prescription privileges for schedule II, schedule III, schedule IV and schedule V controlled substances that are opioids or benzodiazepine and ninety-day prescription privileges for schedule II, schedule III, schedule IV and schedule V controlled substances that are not opioids or benzodiazepine if the physician assistant either:
(a) Within the preceding three years of application, completed forty-five hours in pharmacology or clinical management of drug therapy or at the time of application is certified by a national commission on the certification of physician assistants or its successor.
(b) Met any other requirement established by board rule.
B. The board may delegate to the executive director the board's authority pursuant to this section or section 32-2551. The board shall adopt a substantive policy statement pursuant to section 41-1091 for each specific licensing and regulatory authority the board delegates to the executive director.
C. The board may make and adopt rules necessary or proper for the administration of this chapter.
D. The chairperson may establish subcommittees consisting of board members and define their duties as the chairperson deems necessary to carry out the functions of the board.
E. Board employees, including the executive director, temporary personnel and professional medical investigators, are immune from civil liability for good faith actions they take to enforce this chapter.
F. In performing its duties pursuant to subsection A of this section, the board may receive and review staff reports on complaints, malpractice cases and all investigations.
G. The chairperson and vice chairperson of the Arizona regulatory board of physician assistants are members of the committee on executive director selection and retention established by section 32-1403, subsection G, which is responsible for the appointment of the executive director pursuant to section 32-1405.
Sec. 2. Section 32-2521, Arizona Revised Statutes, is amended to read:
32-2521. Qualifications; investigations; disciplinary actions
A. An applicant for licensure shall:
1. Have graduated from a physician assistants educational program accredited by a nationally recognized accreditation organization of physician assistant education and approved by the board.
2. Pass a nationally recognized certifying examination for physician assistants approved by the board.
3. Be physically and mentally able to safely perform health care tasks as a physician assistant.
4. Have a professional record that indicates that the applicant has not committed any act or engaged in any conduct that constitutes grounds for disciplinary action against a licensee pursuant to this chapter. This paragraph does not prevent the board from considering the application of an applicant who was the subject of disciplinary action in another jurisdiction if the applicant's act or conduct was subsequently corrected, monitored and resolved to the satisfaction of that jurisdiction's regulatory board.
5. Not have had a license to practice revoked by a regulatory board in another jurisdiction in the United States for an act that occurred in that jurisdiction that constitutes unprofessional conduct pursuant to this chapter.
6. Not be currently under investigation, suspension or restriction by a regulatory board in another jurisdiction in the United States for an act that occurred in that jurisdiction and that constitutes unprofessional conduct pursuant to this chapter. If the applicant is under investigation by a regulatory board in another jurisdiction, the board shall suspend the application process and may not issue or deny a license to the applicant until the investigation is resolved.
7. Not have surrendered, relinquished or given up a license in lieu of disciplinary action by a regulatory board in another jurisdiction in the United States for an act that occurred in that jurisdiction and that constitutes unprofessional conduct pursuant to this chapter. This paragraph does not prevent the board from considering the application of an applicant who surrendered, relinquished or gave up a license in lieu of disciplinary action by a regulatory board in another jurisdiction if that regulatory board subsequently reinstated the applicant's license.
8. Have submitted verification of all hospital affiliations and employment for the five years preceding application. Each hospital must verify the applicant's affiliation or employment on the hospital's official letterhead or the electronic equivalent.
B. The board shall require an applicant to have all credentials submitted from the primary source where the document originated, either electronically or by hard copy, except that the board may accept primary-source verified credentials from a credentials verification service approved by the board.
C. The board may make investigations it deems necessary to advise itself with respect to the qualifications of the applicant, including physical examinations, mental evaluations, written competency examinations or any combination of these examinations and evaluations.
D. If the board finds that the applicant committed an act or engaged in conduct that would constitute grounds for disciplinary action in this state, before issuing a license the board must determine to its satisfaction that the act or conduct has been corrected, monitored and resolved. If the act or conduct has not been resolved, before issuing a license the board must determine to its satisfaction that mitigating circumstances exist that prevent its resolution of the act or conduct.
E. If another jurisdiction has taken disciplinary action against an applicant, before issuing a license the board must determine to its satisfaction that the cause for the action was corrected and the matter was resolved. If the other jurisdiction has not resolved the matter, before issuing a license the board must determine to its satisfaction that mitigating circumstances exist that prevent its the matter's resolution.
F. The board may delegate to the executive director the authority to deny licenses to applicants who do not meet the requirements of this section.
