The bill amends the Oklahoma Pharmacy Act and the Physician Assistant Act to enhance the roles and responsibilities of physician assistants (PAs) in the state. Key provisions include allowing pharmacists to dispense controlled dangerous substances prescribed by licensed PAs and advanced practice nurses under certain conditions. The bill increases the membership of the Physician Assistant Committee from seven to nine and permits PAs with sufficient postgraduate clinical experience to practice without supervision. It also mandates the State Board of Medical Licensure and Supervision to maintain an online list of PAs reporting their clinical hours and outlines the reporting process. Additionally, the bill repeals the requirement for physician supervision and practice agreements for certain PAs, thereby granting them greater autonomy.

Further amendments clarify the prescribing authority of PAs, allowing them to prescribe both written and oral prescriptions for controlled medications in Schedules II through V, contingent upon a written protocol established by their supervising physician. The bill also updates billing and payment regulations, enabling PAs to bill directly for medically necessary services. It expands the definition of "practitioner" to include Advanced Practice Registered Nurses under physician supervision, and emphasizes harm-reduction services related to injection drug use. The bill also introduces a definition for "synthetic controlled substance" and modifies the prescribing authority of PAs, replacing the previous requirement for medical direction with a practice agreement for prescribing controlled substances. The effective date for these new provisions is set for November 1, 2025.

Statutes affected:
Introduced: 59-519.11, 59-521.4