Section 40-47-955. Scope of PA's practice; physical presence requirements of supervising physician; practices in separate locations.

SC Code § 40-47-955 (2019) (N/A)
Copy with citation
Copy as parenthetical citation

(A) The supervising physician is responsible for all aspects of the PA's practice. Supervision must be continuous but must not be construed as necessarily requiring the physical presence of the supervising physician at the time and place where the services are rendered, except as otherwise required for limited licensees. The supervising physician shall identify the PA's scope of practice and determine the delegation of medical acts, tasks, or functions. Medical acts, tasks, or functions must be defined in written scope of practice guidelines which must be appropriate to the PA's ability and knowledge.

(B) Pursuant to scope of practice guidelines, a PA may:

(1) practice in a public place, a private place, or a facility where the supervising physician regularly sees patients; and

(2) make house calls, perform hospital duties, perform telemedicine, and perform any functions performed by the supervising physician if the PA is also qualified to perform those functions.

(C) A PA who has less than two years continuous practice or who is changing specialties may not practice at a location off site from the supervising physician until the PA has sixty days clinical experience on-site with the supervising physician. This sixty-day requirement, or a portion thereof, may be waived by the supervising physician in writing on a form approved by the board and submitted to the board. The supervising physician or alternate must review, initial, and date the offsite physician assistant's charts periodically as specified in the written scope of practice guidelines to ensure quality of care and patient safety.

HISTORY: 2000 Act No. 359, Section 1; 2006 Act No. 244, Section 6; 2013 Act No. 28, Section 7, eff May 21, 2013; 2018 Act No. 234 (S.345), Section 8, eff July 1, 2018; 2019 Act No. 32 (S.132), Section 2, eff August 11, 2019.

Effect of Amendment

The 2013 amendment, in subsection (A), substituted "defined in written scope of practice guidelines" for "defined in approved written guidelines"; and rewrote subsections (B) through (D).

2018 Act No. 234, Section 8, rewrote (B), including telemedicine in the scope of physician assistants' practice.

2019 Act No. 32, Section 2, rewrote the section.