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AN ACT relating to continuing education for medical professionals. 1
Be it enacted by the General Assembly of the Commonwealth of Kentucky: 2
Section 1. KRS 314.073 is amended to read as follows: 3
(1) As a prerequisite for license renewal, all individuals licensed under provisions of 4
this chapter shall be required to document continuing competency during the 5
immediate past licensure period as prescribed in regulations promulgated by the 6
board. 7
(2) The continuing competency requirement shall be documented and reported as set 8
forth by the board in administrative regulations promulgated in accordance with 9
KRS Chapter 13A. 10
(3) The board shall approve providers of continuing education. The approval may 11
include recognition of providers approved by national organizations and state 12
boards of nursing with comparable standards. Standards for these approvals shall be 13
set by the board in administrative regulations promulgated in accordance with the 14
provisions of KRS Chapter 13A. 15
(4) The board shall work cooperatively with professional nursing organizations, 16
approved nursing schools, and other potential sources of continuing education 17
programs to ensure that adequate continuing education offerings are available 18
statewide. The board may enter into contractual agreements to implement the 19
provisions of this section. 20
(5) The board shall be responsible for notifying applicants for licensure and licensees 21
applying for license renewal, of continuing competency requirements. 22
(6) As a part of the continuing education requirements that the board adopts to ensure 23
continuing competency of present and future licensees, the board shall ensure 24
practitioners licensed under KRS Chapter 314 complete a one-time training course 25
of at least one and one-half (1.5) hours covering the recognition and prevention of 26
pediatric abusive head trauma, as defined in KRS 620.020. The one and one-half 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2042
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(1.5) hours required under this section shall be included in the current number of 1
required continuing education hours. 2
(7) As a part of the continuing education requirements that the board adopts to 3
ensure continuing competency of present and future licensees and the evolving 4
needs of the growing senior population, the board shall ensure practitioners 5
licensed under KRS Chapter 314, whose primary scope of practice includes but is 6
not limited to individuals aged fifty (50) years and older and who serve in a 7
primary care, internal medicine, geriatric, neurology, family practice, and 8
emergency medicine settings, complete a course of two (2) hours of continuing 9
education approved by the board. The course shall be completed every two (2) 10
years and count towards the current number of required continuing education 11
hours. The course topics shall include but not be limited to: 12
(a) The warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease and other forms of 13
dementia; 14
(b) The importance of early detection, diagnosis, and appropriate 15
communication techniques for discussion of memory concerns with the 16
patient and his or her caregiver; 17
(c) Cognitive assessment and care planning billing codes; 18
(d) The variety of tools used to assess a patient's cognition; and 19
(e) Current treatments that may be available to the patient. 20
(8) In order to offset administrative costs incurred in the implementation of the 21
mandatory continuing competency requirements, the board may charge reasonable 22
fees as established by regulation in accordance with the provisions of KRS Chapter 23
13A. 24
(9)[(8)] The continuing competency requirements shall include at least five (5) contact 25
hours in pharmacology continuing education for any person licensed as an 26
advanced practice registered nurse. 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2042
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Section 2. KRS 311.844 is amended to read as follows: 1
(1) To be licensed by the board as a physician assistant, an applicant shall: 2
(a) Submit a completed application form with the required fee; 3
(b) Be of good character and reputation; 4
(c) Be a graduate of an approved program; and 5
(d) Have passed an examination approved by the board within three (3) attempts. 6
(2) A physician assistant who is authorized to practice in another state and who is in 7
good standing may apply for licensure by endorsement from the state of his or her 8
credentialing if that state has standards substantially equivalent to those of this 9
Commonwealth. 10
(3) A physician assistant's license shall be valid for two (2) years and shall be renewed 11
by the board upon fulfillment of the following requirements: 12
(a) The holder shall be of good character and reputation; 13
(b) The holder shall provide evidence of completion, during the previous two (2) 14
years, of a minimum of one hundred (100) hours of continuing education 15
approved by the American Medical Association, the American Osteopathic 16
Association, the American Academy of Family Physicians, the American 17
Academy of Physician Assistants, or by another entity approved by the board. 18
The one hundred (100) hours of continuing education required by this 19
paragraph shall include: 20
1. During the first two (2) years of licensure or prior to the first licensure 21
renewal: 22
a. One (1) continuing education course on the human 23
immunodeficiency virus and acquired immunodeficiency 24
syndrome;[ and] 25
b. One and one-half (1.5) hours of continuing education in the 26
prevention and recognition of pediatric abusive head trauma, as 27 UNOFFICIAL COPY 24 RS BR 2042
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defined in KRS 620.020; and 1
c. One (1) hour of continuing education approved by the board for 2
those physician assistants whose scope of practice includes but is 3
not limited to individuals aged fifty (50) years and older and 4
which includes and is strictly limited to primary care, internal 5
medicine, geriatric, neurology, family practice, and emergency 6
medicine settings. The course topics shall include but not be 7
limited to: 8
i. The warning signs and symptoms of Alzheimer's disease 9
and other forms of dementia; 10
ii. The importance of early detection, diagnosis, and 11
appropriate communication techniques for discussion of 12
memory concerns with the patient and his or her caregiver; 13
iii. Cognitive assessment and care planning billing codes; 14
iv. The variety of tools used to assess a patient's cognition; 15
and 16
v. Current treatments that may be available to the patient; 17
and 18
2. If the license holder is authorized, pursuant to KRS 311.858(5), to 19
prescribe and administer Schedule III, IV, or V controlled substances, a 20
minimum of seven and one-half (7.5) hours of approved continuing 21
education relating to controlled substance diversion, pain management, 22
addiction disorders, use of the electronic system for monitoring 23
controlled substances established in KRS 218A.202, or any combination 24
of two (2) or more of these subjects; and 25
(c) The holder shall provide proof of current certification with the National 26
Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants. 27