The Ohio State Senate Committee on Health, Human Services and Aging recently heard testimony on proposed bill SB 154-Prescriptive Authority for Physician Assistants. The bill, a companion to HB 305, would allow physician assistants to prescribe medication and generally have more authority to practice by requiring PAs to attain a master's degree. Representatives from the Ohio Academy of Family Physicians and the Ohio Assoc. of Physicians Assistants offered proponent testimony on the matter. The requirement to attain a master's degree was of contention, and the issue of PA's graduating from Ohio programs migrating in large numbers to neighboring states with prescriptive authority in place. Both the Ohio Pharmacist's Association and the Ohio State Medical Board testified in opposition to the bills, claiming they would not result in a decrease in the cost of care but only a decrease in the quality of it. The AMC/NOMA legislative committee is still reviewing the content of the physician assistant legislation and plans to take a position at their next meeting. To view a copy of HB 305 go to http://www.legislature.state.oh.us/bills.cfm?ID=126_HB_305
Any AMC/NOMA member who has comments on this legislation should send them to Elayne Biddlestone at
ebiddlestone@amcnoma.org