Article - Health Occupations
§15–101.
(a) In this title
the following words have the meanings indicated.
(b) “Alternate
supervising physician” means one or more physicians designated
by the primary supervising physician to provide supervision of a physician
assistant in accordance with the delegation agreement on file with
the Board.
(c) “Ambulatory
surgical facility” means a facility:
(1) Accredited
by:
(i) The American
Association for Accreditation of Ambulatory Surgical Facilities;
(ii) The Accreditation
Association for Ambulatory Health Care; or
(iii) The Joint
Commission on Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations; or
(2) Certified to
participate in the Medicare program, as enacted by Title XVIII of
the Social Security Act.
(d) “Board”
means the State Board of Physicians, established under § 14–201
of this article.
(e) “Committee”
means the Physician Assistant Advisory Committee.
(f) “Controlled
dangerous substances” has the meaning stated in § 5–101
of the Criminal Law Article.
(g) “Correctional
facility” includes a State or local correctional facility.
(h) “Delegated
medical acts” means activities that constitute the practice
of medicine delegated by a physician under Title 14 of this article.
(i) “Delegation
agreement” means a document that is executed by a primary supervising
physician and a physician assistant containing the requirements of §
15–302 of this title.
(i–1) “Disciplinary
panel” means a disciplinary panel of the Board established under §
14–401 of this article.
(j) “Dispense”
means to dispense drug samples or starter dosages.
(k) “Drug
sample” means a unit of a prescription drug that is intended
to promote the sale of the drug and is not intended for sale.
(l) “Hospital”
means:
(1) A hospital
as defined under § 19–301 of the Health – General
Article;
(2) A comprehensive
care facility that:
(i) Meets the requirements
of a hospital–based skilled nursing facility under federal law;
and
(ii) Offers acute
care in the same building; and
(3) An emergency
room that is physically connected to a hospital or a freestanding
medical facility that is licensed under Title 19, Subtitle 3A of the
Health – General Article.
(m) “License”
means a license issued by the Board to a physician assistant under
this title.
(n) “National
certifying examination” means the Physician Assistant National
Certifying Examination administered by the National Commission on
Certification of Physician Assistants or its successor.
(o) “Physician
assistant” means an individual who is licensed under this title
to practice medicine with physician supervision.
(p) “Practice
as a physician assistant” means the performance of medical acts
that are:
(1) Delegated by
a supervising physician to a physician assistant;
(2) Within the
supervising physician’s scope of practice; and
(3) Appropriate
to the physician assistant’s education, training, and experience.
(q) “Prescriptive
authority” means the authority delegated by a primary or alternate
supervising physician to a physician assistant to:
(1) Prescribe and
administer controlled dangerous substances, prescription drugs, medical
devices, and the oral, written, or electronic ordering of medications;
and
(2) Dispense as
provided under § 15–302.2(b), (c), and (d) of this title.
(r) “Primary
supervising physician” means a physician who:
(1) Completes a
delegation agreement that meets the requirements under §§
15–301(d) and (e) and 15–302 of this title and files a
copy with the Board;
(2) Acts as the
physician responsible to ensure that a physician assistant practices
medicine in accordance with this title and the regulations adopted
under this title;
(3) Ensures that
a physician assistant practices within the scope of practice of the
primary supervising physician or any designated alternate supervising
physician; and
(4) Ensures that
a list of alternate supervising physicians is maintained at the practice
setting.
(s) “Public
health facility” means a site where clinical public health services
are rendered under the auspices of the Department, a local health
department in a county, or the Baltimore City Health Department.
(t) “Starter
dosage” means an amount of a drug sufficient to begin therapy:
(1) Of short duration
of 72 hours or less; or
(2) Prior to obtaining
a larger quantity of the drug to complete therapy.
(u) (1) “Supervision”
means the responsibility of a physician to exercise on–site
supervision or immediately available direction for physician assistants
performing delegated medical acts.
(2) “Supervision”
includes physician oversight of and acceptance of direct responsibility
for the patient services and care rendered by a physician assistant,
including continuous availability to the physician assistant in person,
through written instructions, or by electronic means and by designation
of one or more alternate supervising physicians.