514C.11 Services provided by licensed physician assistants and licensed advanced registered nurse practitioners.

1. Notwithstanding section 514C.6, a policy or contract providing for third-party payment or prepayment of health or medical expenses shall include a provision for the payment of necessary medical or surgical care and treatment provided by a physician assistant licensed pursuant to chapter 148C, or provided by an advanced registered nurse practitioner licensed pursuant to chapter 152 and performed within the scope of the license of the licensed physician assistant or the licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner if the policy or contract would pay for the care and treatment if the care and treatment were provided by a person engaged in the practice of medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery under chapter 148. The policy or contract shall provide that policyholders and subscribers under the policy or contract may reject the coverage for services which may be provided by a licensed physician assistant or licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner if the coverage is rejected for all providers of similar services. A policy or contract subject to this section shall not impose a practice or supervision restriction which is inconsistent with or more restrictive than the restriction already imposed by law.

2. This section applies to services provided under a policy or contract delivered, issued for delivery, continued, or renewed in this state on or after July 1, 1996, and to an existing policy or contract, on the policy’s or contract’s anniversary or renewal date, or upon the expiration of the applicable collective bargaining contract, if any, whichever is later. This section does not apply to policyholders or subscribers eligible for coverage under Tit. XVIII of the federal Social Security Act or any similar coverage under a state or federal government plan.

3. For the purposes of this section, third-party payment or prepayment includes an individual or group policy of accident or health insurance or individual or group hospital or health care service contract issued pursuant to chapter 509, 514, or 514A, an individual or group health maintenance organization contract issued and regulated under chapter 514B, or a preferred provider organization contract regulated pursuant to chapter 514F.

4. Nothing in this section shall be interpreted to require an individual or group health maintenance organization or a preferred provider organization or arrangement to provide payment or prepayment for services provided by a licensed physician assistant or licensed advanced registered nurse practitioner unless the physician assistant’s supervising physician, the physician-physician assistant team, the advanced registered nurse practitioner, or the advanced registered nurse practitioner’s collaborating physician has entered into a contract or other agreement to provide services with the individual or group health maintenance organization or the preferred provider organization or arrangement.

96 Acts, ch 1169, §1; 2008 Acts, ch 1088, §130; 2017 Acts, ch 148, §63