Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of physician assistants in this State by the Board of Medical Examiners and the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine. (NRS 630.271-630.2755, 633.432-633.469) Section 1 of this bill enacts the PA Licensure Compact, which allows a person who is licensed as a physician assistant in a state that is a member of the Compact to practice as a physician assistant in other states that are members of the Compact. In order to practice as a physician assistant under the Compact, the Compact requires a physician assistant to: (1) have graduated from certain programs for the education of physician assistants; (2) hold current certification issued by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants; (3) have no felony or misdemeanor convictions; (4) have never had a license, permit or registration relating to controlled substances suspended or revoked; (5) have a unique identifier, as prescribed by the PA Licensure Compact Commission, a joint public body established by the Compact; (6) hold an unrestricted license in his or her home state; (7) currently have no limitations or restrictions on his or her license and have had no adverse actions taken against any license or authority to practice under the Compact within the previous 2 years, with certain exceptions; (8) notify the Commission that he or she is seeking to practice under the Compact in another state; (9) pay any applicable fees; (10) meet any requirement in the state in which he or she seeks to practice under the Compact to pass an assessment of his or her knowledge of the applicable laws and rules of that state; and (11) report any adverse action taken against him or her within 30 days after the date the adverse action is taken. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of nurses in this State. (Chapter 632 of NRS) Section 10 of this bill enacts the Nurse Licensure Compact, which allows a person who is licensed as a nurse in a state that is a party to the Compact to obtain a multistate license to practice as a nurse in other states that are parties to the Compact. The Compact regulates the licensure and discipline of nurses who hold multistate licenses through the Compact. To obtain a multistate license, the Compact requires a nurse to: (1) meet the qualifications of his or her home state for licensure; (2) graduate from or be eligible to graduate from a registered nurse or licensed practical/vocational nurse program; (3) pass an English proficiency examination if the applicant is a graduate of a foreign prelicensure education program not taught in English or if English is not the applicant's native language; (4) pass an NCLEX-RN or NCLEX-PN examination; (5) hold or be eligible to hold an active license in his or her home state; (6) undergo a fingerprint or other biometric-based criminal background check; (7) not have been convicted or found guilty of a felony or a misdemeanor offense related to nursing; (8) not be currently enrolled in certain monitoring programs; (9) disclose to the licensing authority in his or her home state whether he or she is participating in such a program; and (10) have a valid social security number. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of audiologists and speech-language pathologists in this State. (Chapter 637B of NRS) Section 21 of this bill enacts the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact, which allows a person who is licensed as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist in a state that is a member of the Compact to practice as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist in other states that are members of the Compact. In order to practice as an audiologist or speech-language pathologist under the Compact, the Compact requires an audiologist or speech-language pathologist to: (1) hold a license in his or her home state; (2) have no encumbrances on his or her license; (3) meet certain other requirements for eligibility; (4) have had no adverse actions taken against any license or authority to practice under the Compact within the previous 2 years; (5) notify the Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Compact Commission, a joint public body established by the Compact, that he or she is seeking to practice under the Compact in another state; (6) pay any applicable fees; and (7) report any adverse action taken against him or her within 30 days after the date the adverse action is taken. The Compact additionally requires a member state to recognize the right of an audiologist or speech-language pathologist who is licensed by any member state to practice audiology or speech-language pathology, as applicable, through telehealth in any member state under conditions prescribed by the Commission. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of physical therapists and physical therapist assistants in this State. (Chapter 640 of NRS) Section 23 of this bill enacts the Physical Therapy Licensure Compact, which allows a person who is licensed as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant in a state that is a member of the Compact to practice as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant in other states that are members of the Compact. In order to practice as a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant under the Compact, the Compact requires a physical therapist or physical therapist assistant to: (1) hold a license in his or her home state; (2) have no encumbrances on his or her license; (3) meet certain other requirements for eligibility; (4) have had no adverse actions taken against any license or authority to practice under the Compact within the previous 2 years; (5) notify the Physical Therapy Compact Commission, a joint public body established by the Compact, that he or she is seeking to practice under the Compact in another state; (6) pay any applicable fees; (7) meet any requirements in the state in which he or she seeks to practice under the Compact; and (8) report any adverse action taken against him or her within 30 days after the date the adverse action is taken. Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants in this State. (Chapter 640A of NRS) Section 26 of this bill enacts the Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact, which allows a person who is licensed as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant in a state that is a member of the Compact to practice as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant in other states that are members of the Compact. In order to practice as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant under the Compact, the Compact requires an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant to: (1) hold a license in his or her home state; (2) have a valid social security number or National Practitioner Identification number; (3) have no encumbrances on his or her license; (4) meet certain other requirements for eligibility; (5) have had no adverse actions taken against any license or authority to practice under the Compact within the previous 2 years; (6) notify the Occupational Therapy Compact Commission, a joint public body established by the Compact, that he or she is seeking to practice under the Compact in another state; (7) pay any applicable fees; (8) complete a fingerprint or other biometric-based criminal background check; (9) meet any requirement in the state in which he or she seeks to practice under the Compact to pass an assessment of his or her knowledge of the applicable laws and rules of that state; and (10) report any adverse action taken against him or her within 30 days after the date the adverse action is taken. Each interstate compact adopted by sections 1, 10, 21, 23 and 26 authorizes a member state to take adverse action against a provider of health care who is practicing in the member state under the Compact. Each such interstate compact authorizes the commission created by the compact to levy and collect assessments from party states to cover the cost of its operations. Each such compact also creates a data system to facilitate the sharing of information among member states. Sections 8, 9, 11, 12, 18, 20, 22, 24 and 27 of this bill generally authorize the Board of Medical Examiners, the State Board of Nursing, the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine, the Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensing Board, the Nevada Physical Therapy Board and the Board of Occupational Therapy to disclose information to those data systems when required by those compacts. Sections 1, 10, 21, 23, 26 and 33 of this bill provide for the confidentiality of certain information disclosed through a data system. Section 2 of this bill makes a conforming change to reflect that the PA Licensure Compact will be placed in the same chapter as the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which relates to physicians. Sections 4 and 14 of this bill define “PA Licensure Compact” to refer to the PA Licensure Compact for the purposes of provisions governing allopathic and osteopathic medicine. Sections 6 and 16 of this bill indicate the applicability of those definitions. Sections 5 and 15 of this bill prescribe the conditions under which the Board of Medical Examiners or the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine will regulate a physician assistant practicing in this State under the PA Licensure Compact. Section 28 of this bill deems practicing as a physician assistant, audiologist, speech-language pathologist, physical therapist, physical therapist assistant, occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant under the Compact to be equivalent to practicing under a license issued by the applicable professional licensing board, thereby providing such persons with the same authority, duties and legal protections as a licensee. Because the Nurse Licensure Compact enacted by section 10 requires a nurse practicing under the Nurse Licensure Compact to obtain a multistate license, such a nurse would be licensed pursuant to provisions of law governing nursing and would thus also have the same authority as any other nurse who is licensed to practice in this State. Sections 7 and 17 of this bill further clarify that a physician assistant practicing in this State under the PA Licensure Compact has the same legal status as a physician assistant licensed by the Board of Medical Examiners or the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine. Sections 19 and 25 of this bill require an osteopathic physician assistant or physical therapist practicing under the Compact to display proof that he or she is authorized to practice under the Compact in the same manner as a licensed osteopathic physician assistant or licensed physical therapist, as applicable, is required to display his or her license. Sections 29-32, 34-36 and 39 of this bill replace the term “registered physical therapist” with the term “licensed physical therapist” to reflect current terminology used in existing law governing the practice of physical therapy and this bill. Sections 37 and 38 of this bill make further revisions to clarify that physician assistants licensed by the Board of Medical Examiners or the State Board of Osteopathic Medicine and physician assistants practicing in this State under the PA Licensure Compact have the same authority with regard to prescribing, dispensing, administering and possessing controlled substances and dangerous drugs. Section 40 of this bill requires the Department of Health and Human Services to: (1) study the potential impacts of the interstate compacts ratified and entered into in sections 1, 10, 21, 23 and 26 on the availability of relevant health care services in this State; and (2) report the results of the study to the Patient Protection Commission and the Legislature.

Statutes affected:
As Introduced: 629A.100, 630.005, 630.015, 630.30665, 630.336, 632.307, 632.405, 633.011, 633.107, 633.301, 633.442, 633.524, 637B.288, 640.075, 640.110, 640A.220, 7.095, 41A.017, 42.021, 52.320, 239.010, 372.7285, 374.731, 439A.0195, 453.371, 454.00958, 598A.360
BDR: 629A.100, 630.005, 630.015, 630.30665, 630.336, 632.307, 632.405, 633.011, 633.107, 633.301, 633.442, 633.524, 637B.288, 640.075, 640.110, 640A.220, 7.095, 41A.017, 42.021, 52.320, 239.010, 372.7285, 374.731, 439A.0195, 453.371, 454.00958, 598A.360