148C.4 Services performed by physician assistants.

1. A physician assistant may perform medical services when the services are rendered under the supervision of a physician. A physician assistant student may perform medical services when the services are rendered within the scope of an approved program. For the purposes of this section, “medical services when the services are rendered under the supervision of a physician” includes making a pronouncement of death for a patient whose death is anticipated if the death occurs in a licensed hospital, a licensed health care facility, a correctional institution listed in section 904.102, a Medicare-certified home health agency, or a Medicare-certified hospice program or facility, with notice of the death to a physician and in accordance with the directions of a physician.

2. a. Notwithstanding subsection 1, a physician assistant licensed pursuant to this chapter or authorized to practice in any other state or federal jurisdiction who voluntarily and gratuitously, and other than in the ordinary course of the physician assistant’s employment or practice, responds to a need for medical care created by an emergency or a state or local disaster may render such care that the physician assistant is able to provide without supervision as described in this section or with such supervision as is available.

b. A physician who supervises a physician assistant providing medical care pursuant to this subsection shall not be required to meet the requirements of rules adopted pursuant to section 148C.3, subsection 2, relating to supervision by physicians. A physician providing physician assistant supervision pursuant to this subsection or a physician assistant, who voluntarily and gratuitously, and other than in the ordinary course of the physician assistant’s employment or practice, responds to a need for medical care created by an emergency or a state or local disaster shall not be subject to criminal liability by reason of having issued or executed the orders for such care, and shall not be liable for civil damages for acts or omissions relating to the issuance or execution of the orders unless the acts or omissions constitute recklessness.

[C73, 75, 77, 79, §148B.4; C81, §148C.4]

88 Acts, ch 1225, §18; 2001 Acts, ch 113, §1; 2003 Acts, ch 93, §10, 14; 2009 Acts, ch 41, §263; 2017 Acts, ch 96, §2

Referred to in §489.1102, 489.1105, 496C.4, 496C.7