                                 CODE OF VIRGINIA

ROLE OF PATIENT CARE TEAM PHYSICIAN OR PATIENT CARE TEAM PODIATRIST ON PATIENT
CARE TEAMS; SERVICES THAT MAY BE PERFORMED BY PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS;
RESPONSIBILITY OF LICENSEE; EMPLOYMENT OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (§ 54.1-2952)

A. A patient care team physician or patient care team podiatrist licensed under
this chapter may serve on a patient care team with physician assistants and
shall provide collaboration and consultation to such physician assistants. No
patient care team physician or patient care team podiatrist shall be allowed to
collaborate or consult with more than six physician assistants on a patient care
team at any one time.
			Service as part of a patient care team by a patient care team physician or
patient care team podiatrist shall not, by the existence of such service alone,
establish or create vicarious liability for the actions or inactions of other
team members.

B. Physician assistants may practice medicine to the extent and in the manner
authorized by the Board. A patient care team physician or patient care team
podiatrist shall be available at all times to collaborate and consult with
physician assistants. Each patient care team shall identify the relevant
physician assistant&#8217;s scope of practice and an evaluation process for the
physician assistant&#8217;s performance.

C. Physician assistants appointed as medical examiners pursuant to &#xA7;
32.1-282 may practice without a written or electronic practice agreement.

D. Any professional corporation or partnership of any licensee, any hospital and
any commercial enterprise having medical facilities for its employees that are
supervised by one or more physicians or podiatrists may employ one or more
physician assistants in accordance with the provisions of this section.
			Activities shall be performed in a manner consistent with sound medical
practice and the protection of the health and safety of the patient. Such
activities shall be set forth in a practice agreement or by the credentialing
and privileging practice arrangement requirements of a facility described in
subsection E of &#xA7; 54.1-2951.1 and may include health care services that are
educational, diagnostic, therapeutic, or preventive, including establishing a
diagnosis, providing treatment, and performing procedures. Prescribing or
dispensing of drugs may be permitted as provided in &#xA7; 54.1-2952.1. In
addition, a physician assistant may perform initial and ongoing evaluation and
treatment of any patient in a hospital, including its emergency department, in
accordance with the practice agreement or the credentialing and privileging
practice arrangement requirements of a facility described in subsection E of
&#xA7; 54.1-2951.1, including tasks performed, relating to the provision of
medical care in an emergency department.
			A patient care team physician or the on-duty emergency department physician
shall be available at all times for collaboration and consultation with both the
physician assistant and the emergency department physician. No person shall have
responsibility for any physician assistant who is not employed by the person or
the person&#8217;s business entity.

E. No physician assistant shall perform any acts beyond those set forth in the
practice agreement or authorized as part of the patient care team. No physician
assistant practicing in a hospital shall render care to a patient unless the
physician responsible for that patient is available for collaboration or
consultation, pursuant to regulations of the Board.

F. Notwithstanding the provisions of &#xA7; 54.1-2956.8:1, a licensed physician
assistant who (i) is working in the field of radiology or orthopedics as part of
a patient care team, (ii) has been trained in the proper use of equipment for
the purpose of performing radiologic technology procedures consistent with Board
regulations, and (iii) has successfully completed the exam administered by the
American Registry of Radiologic Technologists for physician assistants for the
purpose of performing radiologic technology procedures may use fluoroscopy for
guidance of diagnostic and therapeutic procedures.

HISTORY: 1973, c. 529, §§ 54-281.4, 54-281.5; 1975, cc. 508, 565; 1985, c.
316; 1988, c. 765; 1992, c. 793; 1996, c. 779; 2000, cc. 467, 497; 2002, c. 387;
2005, c. 662; 2008, c. 281; 2012, c. 81; 2014, c. 89; 2015, c. 107; 2016, c.
450; 2019, cc. 92, 137; 2021, Sp. Sess. I, c. 210; 2022, c. 151; 2024, c. 116.