Massachusetts 2025-2026 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1502 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 258 FILED ON: 1/10/2025
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1502
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Julian Cyr
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to removing barriers to care for physician assistants.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Julian CyrCape and IslandsJoanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester2/19/2025Jason M. LewisFifth Middlesex2/19/2025Steven George Xiarhos5th Barnstable2/24/2025 1 of 4
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 258 FILED ON: 1/10/2025
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1502
18	18	By Mr. Cyr, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1502) of Julian Cyr, Joanne M.
19	19	Comerford, Jason M. Lewis and Steven George Xiarhos for legislation to remove barriers to care
20	20	for physician assistants. Public Health.
21	21	[SIMILAR MATTER FILED IN PREVIOUS SESSION
22	22	SEE SENATE, NO. 1354 OF 2023-2024.]
23	23	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
24	24	_______________
25	25	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Fourth General Court
26	26	(2025-2026)
27	27	_______________
28	28	An Act relative to removing barriers to care for physician assistants.
29	29	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
30	30	of the same, as follows:
31	31	1 SECTION 1. Section 7 of chapter 94C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2022
32	32	2Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 152 - 154, the words “pursuant to
33	33	3guidelines mutually developed and agreed upon by the supervising physician and the physician
34	34	4assistant”.
35	35	5 SECTION 2. Said section 7 of chapter 94C, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
36	36	6striking out, in line 156, the words “, the board of registration in medicine”.
37	37	7 SECTION 3. Section 51J of Chapter 111, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
38	38	8inserting after the word “practitioner”, in line 4, the following words: - or physician assistant. 2 of 4
39	39	9 SECTION 4. Section 9E of chapter 112 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby
40	40	10amended by striking out the first and second paragraphs and inserting in place thereof the
41	41	11following paragraphs:-
42	42	12 Notwithstanding any other provisions of law, a physician assistant may perform medical
43	43	13services when such services are within the education, training and experience of the physician
44	44	14assistant and which the physician assistant is competent to perform.
45	45	15 Physician assistants, depending upon their level of professional training and experience,
46	46	16may perform medical services of a general nature and may order tests and therapeutics.
47	47	17 SECTION 5. Said section 9E of said chapter 112, as so appearing, is hereby further
48	48	18amended striking out the fourth and fifth paragraphs and inserting in place thereof the following
49	49	19paragraphs:-
50	50	20 The legal responsibility of the physician assistant shall remain that of the individual
51	51	21physician assistant, employing physician, group of physicians, or healthcare facility as part of the
52	52	22health care team responsible for the care and treatment of the patient.
53	53	23 Notwithstanding any provision of law or regulation to the contrary, services provided by
54	54	24a physician assistant consistent with their scope of practice shall be covered by insurers and other
55	55	25payers if the same service is covered if provided by a physician. When appropriate, a physician
56	56	26assistant shall be identified as the provider in the bill and claims process when services have
57	57	27been provided directly by the physician assistant. A physician assistant may bill an insurer or
58	58	28other payer directly and receive direct payment for the delivery of medically necessary services.
59	59	29An insurer or other payer shall not impose a practice, education, or collaboration requirement
60	60	30that is inconsistent with or more restrictive than required by statute or regulation. 3 of 4
61	61	31 SECTION 6. Section 9F of said chapter 112 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is
62	62	32hereby amended by inserting after the first paragraph the following paragraph:-
63	63	33 The board shall require as a condition of granting or renewing a physician assistant's
64	64	34certificate of registration that a physician assistant shall practice for at least 2,000 hours, within
65	65	35the context of a collaborative agreement, within a hospital or integrated clinical setting where
66	66	36physician assistants and physicians work together to provide patient care. The physician assistant
67	67	37shall submit written evidence of such practice to the board with the application, or upon
68	68	38completion of the required collaborative practice experience. A collaborative agreement is a
69	69	39mutually agreed upon plan for the overall working relationship between the physician assistant
70	70	40and one or more physicians that designates the scope of collaboration necessary to manage the
71	71	41care of patients. The physician assistant and collaborating physician or physicians must have
72	72	42experience in providing care to patients with the same or similar medical problems.
73	73	43 SECTION 7. Section 9F of said chapter 112, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
74	74	44striking out, in line 20 - 23, the words “, in consultation with the board of registration in
75	75	45medicine, and consistent with the authority of the board of registration in medicine over the
76	76	46supervising physician and the practice of medicine,”.
77	77	47 SECTION 8. The third sentence of the third paragraph section 9I of chapter 112, as so
78	78	48appearing, is hereby amended by striking out, in lines 29 - 30, the words “and the name and
79	79	49address of any supervising physician”.
80	80	50 SECTION 9. Said section 9I of said chapter 112, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
81	81	51striking out, in lines 35 – 36, the words “, change of supervising physician”. 4 of 4
82	82	52 SECTION 10.  Section 12B of said chapter 112, as so appearing, is hereby amended by
83	83	53striking out, in line 4, the words “or supervising”.
84	84	54 SECTION 11. The board of registration of physician assistants shall amend its
85	85	55regulations at 263 CMR 5.05 to be consistent with this act.