Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) | Submitted Photo
Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) | Submitted Photo
Legislators in Illinois are considering legislation that would modernize the state's physician assistant (PA) laws and get rid of current "bureaucratic requirements."
The Patients First! legislation, or Senate Bill 145 and House Bill 1826, has 10 bipartisan sponsors and will be talked about during the General Assembly's spring session.
"It is definitely time for Illinois law to catch up with other states and recognize the critical role PAs play in medical care," Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) said in an April 9 post on her Facebook page linking to an op-ed she wrote for Patch.com.
A little more than a year ago, Gov. J.P. Pritzker signed an executive order targeting PAs during the state of emergency. The order allowed PAs to provide medical care without a "collaborative agreement" as long as they did so within their training and education.
The proposal would essentially solidify that executive order, according to an op-ed written by Murphy for Patch.
Murphy said the bill would get rid of bureaucratic red tape but still require PAs to collaborate with physicians in order to practice. The degree of medical care PAs could provide would be determined by their education, training and expertise of both the PA and collaborating physician. It would also allow PAs to speak with state regulators and "self-govern" the occupation.
Alerts Sign-up