Public Act 93-0149 HB3047 Enrolled LRB093 06091 AMC 06196 b AN ACT concerning physician assistants. Be it enacted by the People of the State of Illinois, represented in the General Assembly: Section 5. The Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987 is amended by changing Section 7 as follows: (225 ILCS 95/7) (from Ch. 111, par. 4607) (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2008) Sec. 7. Supervision requirements. No more than 2 physician assistants shall be supervised by the supervising physician, although a physician assistant shall be able to hold more than one professional position. Each supervising physician shall file a notice of supervision of such physician assistant according to the rules of the Department. However, the alternate supervising physician may supervise more than 2 physician assistants when the supervising physician is unable to provide such supervision consistent with the definition of alternate physician in Section 4. Physician assistants shall be supervised only by physicians as defined in this Act who are engaged in clinical practice, or in clinical practice in public health or other community health facilities. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the delegation of tasks or duties by a physician to a nurse or other appropriately trained personnel. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the employment of physician assistants by a hospital, nursing home or other health care facility where such physician assistants function under the supervision of a supervising physician. Physician assistants may be employed by the Department of Corrections or the Department of Human Services (as successor to the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities) for service in facilities maintained by such Departments and affiliated training facilities in programs conducted under the authority of the Director of Corrections or the Secretary of Human Services. Each physician assistant employed by the Department of Corrections or the Department of Human Services (as successor to the Department of Mental Health and Developmental Disabilities) shall be under the supervision of a physician engaged in clinical practice and direct patient care. Duties of each physician assistant employed by such Departments are limited to those within the scope of practice of the supervising physician who is fully responsible for all physician assistant activities. A physician assistant may be employed by a practice group or other entity employing multiple physicians at one or more locations. In that case, one of the physicians practicing at a location shall be designated the supervising physician. The other physicians with that practice group or other entity who practice in the same general type of practice or specialty as the supervising physician may supervise the physician assistant with respect to their patients without being deemed alternate supervising physicians for the purpose of this Act. (Source: P.A. 89-507, eff. 7-1-97; 90-116, eff. 7-14-97.) Section 10. The Radiation Protection Act of 1990 is amended by changing Sections 5 and 6 as follows: (420 ILCS 40/5) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 210-5) (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2011) Sec. 5. Limitations on application of radiation to human beings and requirements for radiation installation operators providing mammography services. (a) No person shall intentionally administer radiation to a human being unless such person is licensed to practice a treatment of human ailments by virtue of the Illinois Medical, Dental or Podiatric Medical Practice Acts, or, as physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, technician, nurse, or other assistant, is acting under the supervision, prescription or direction of such licensed person. However, no such physician assistant, advanced practice nurse, technician, nurse, or other assistant acting under the supervision of a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987, shall administer radiation to human beings unless accredited by the Department of Nuclear Safety, except that persons enrolled in a course of education approved by the Department of Nuclear Safety may apply ionizing radiation to human beings as required by their course of study when under the direct supervision of a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987. No person authorized by this Section to apply ionizing radiation shall apply such radiation except to those parts of the human body specified in the Act under which such person or his supervisor is licensed. No person may operate a radiation installation where ionizing radiation is administered to human beings unless all persons who administer ionizing radiation in that radiation installation are licensed, accredited, or exempted in accordance with this Section. Nothing in this Section shall be deemed to relieve a person from complying with the provisions of Section 10. (b) In addition, no person shall provide mammography services unless all of the following requirements are met: (1) the mammography procedures are performed using a radiation machine that is specifically designed for mammography; (2) the mammography procedures are performed using a radiation machine that is used solely for performing mammography procedures; (3) the mammography procedures are performed using equipment that has been subjected to a quality assurance program that satisfies quality assurance requirements which the Department shall establish by rule; (4) beginning one year after the effective date of this amendatory Act of 1991, if the mammography procedure is performed by a radiologic technologist, that technologist, in addition to being accredited by the Department to perform radiography, has satisfied training requirements specific to mammography, which the Department shall establish by rule. (c) Every operator of a radiation installation at which mammography services are provided shall ensure and have confirmed by each mammography patient that the patient is provided with a pamphlet which is orally reviewed with the patient and which contains the following: (1) how to perform breast self-examination; (2) that early detection of breast cancer is maximized through a combined approach, using monthly breast self-examination, a thorough physical examination performed by a physician, and mammography performed at recommended intervals; (3) that mammography is the most accurate method for making an early detection of breast cancer, however, no diagnostic tool is 100% effective; (4) that if the patient is self-referred and does not have a primary care physician, or if the patient is unfamiliar with the breast examination procedures, that the patient has received information regarding public health services where she can obtain a breast examination and instructions. (Source: P.A. 89-187, eff. 7-19-95.) (420 ILCS 40/6) (from Ch. 111 1/2, par. 210-6) (Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2011) Sec. 6. Accreditation of administrators of radiation; Limited scope accreditation; Rules and regulations; Education. (a) The Department shall promulgate such rules and regulations as are necessary to establish accreditation standards and procedures, including a minimum course of education and continuing education requirements in the administration of radiation to human beings, which are appropriate to the classification of accreditation and which are to be met by all physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurses, technicians, or other assistants who administer radiation to human beings under the supervision of a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987. Such rules and regulations may provide for different classes of accreditation based on evidence of national certification, clinical experience or community hardship as conditions of initial and continuing accreditation. The rules and regulations of the Department shall be consistent with national standards in regard to the protection of the health and safety of the general public. (b) The rules and regulations shall also provide that persons who have been accredited by the Department, in accordance with the Radiation Protection Act, without passing an examination, will remain accredited as provided in Section 43 of this Act and that those persons may be accredited, without passing an examination, to use other equipment, procedures, or supervision within the original category of accreditation if the Department receives written assurances from a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987, that the person accredited has the necessary skill and qualifications for such additional equipment procedures or supervision. The Department shall, in accordance with subsection (c) of this Section, provide for the accreditation of nurses, technicians, or other assistants, unless exempted elsewhere in this Act, to perform a limited scope of diagnostic radiography procedures of the chest, the extremities, skull and sinuses, or the spine, while under the supervision of a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987. (c) The rules or regulations promulgated by the Department pursuant to subsection (a) shall establish standards and procedures for accrediting persons to perform a limited scope of diagnostic radiography procedures. The rules or regulations shall require persons seeking limited scope accreditation to register with the Department as a "student-in-training," and declare those procedures in which the student will be receiving training. The student-in-training registration shall be valid for a period of 16 months, during which the time the student may, under the supervision of a person licensed under the Medical Practice Act of 1987, perform the diagnostic radiography procedures listed on the student's registration. The student-in-training registration shall be nonrenewable. Upon expiration of the 16 month training period, the student shall be prohibited from performing diagnostic radiography procedures unless accredited by the Department to perform such procedures. In order to be accredited to perform a limited scope of diagnostic radiography procedures, an individual must pass an examination offered by the Department. The examination shall be consistent with national standards in regard to protection of public health and safety. The examination shall consist of a standardized component covering general principles applicable to diagnostic radiography procedures and a clinical component specific to the types of procedures for which accreditation is being sought. The Department may assess a reasonable fee for such examinations to cover the costs incurred by the Department in conjunction with offering the examinations. (d) The Department shall by rule or regulation exempt from accreditation physician assistants, advanced practice nurses, nurses, technicians, or other assistants who administer radiation to human beings under supervision of a person licensed to practice under the Medical Practice Act of 1987 when the services are performed on employees of a business at a medical facility owned and operated by the business. Such exemption shall only apply to the equipment, procedures and supervision specific to the medical facility owned and operated by the business. (Source: P.A. 90-14, eff. 7-1-97.) Section 99. Effective date. This Act takes effect upon becoming law.