SB99

Senate Bill 99 amends existing Arkansas law to explicitly authorize physician assistants to delegate certain medical tasks to qualified, non-licensed employees, provided those tasks meet specific criteria. The bill requires the Arkansas State Medical Board to establish rules and standards for this delegation, ensuring that the delegating physician assistant maintains responsibility for the employee's actions. The bill mandates that employees performing these delegated tasks cannot be represented as licensed healthcare professionals and must operate under the supervision of a physician or physician assistant. Delegation is limited to tasks within the office practice setting, such as the administration of certain drugs that do not require specialized medical judgment. The legislation explicitly prohibits delegating anesthesia administration and maintains that the delegating professional remains legally accountable. Additionally, it ensures that the rules for delegation do not conflict with existing provisions of the Arkansas Code. The bill effectively expands the regulatory authority of the Arkansas State Medical Board to incorporate physician assistants into the delegation framework previously reserved primarily for physicians.