Enrolled Copy S.B. 24
1 PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT PRACTICE AMENDMENTS
2024 GENERAL SESSION
STATE OF UTAH
Chief Sponsor: Curtis S. Bramble House Sponsor: A. Cory Maloy
2
3 LONG TITLE
4 General Description:
5 This bill modifies provisions relating to physician assistants.
6 Highlighted Provisions:
7 This bill:
8 ▸ clarifies the scope of practice for physician assistants.
9 Money Appropriated in this Bill:
10 None
11 Other Special Clauses:
12 This bill provides a coordination clause.
13 Utah Code Sections Affected:
14 AMENDS:
15 26B-1-501, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 305
16 26B-2-201, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 301 and renumbered and
17 amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 305
18 26B-3-123, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 295 and renumbered and
19 amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 306
20 26B-4-409, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 307
21 26B-4-410, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 307
22 26B-7-216, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 308
23 26B-7-402, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 308
24 26B-8-104, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 306
25 26B-8-115, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 306
26 26B-8-118, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 306
27 53-2a-1601, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 111
28 53-3-206, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 391
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29 53-3-220, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 415
30 53G-6-204, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 162
31 53G-6-603, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 329
32 53G-9-403, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 214
33 58-37c-3, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2015, Chapter 258
34 75-2a-104, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2009, Chapter 99
35 75-2a-106, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 330
36 75-2a-117, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2009, Chapter 99
37 75-5-301.5, as enacted by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 358 and last amended by
38 Coordination Clause, Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 358
39 75-5-303, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2018, Chapter 455
40 76-5-111, as last amended by Laws of Utah 2022, Chapter 181
41 Utah Code Sections affected by Coordination Clause:
42 26B-7-402, as renumbered and amended by Laws of Utah 2023, Chapter 308
43
44 Be it enacted by the Legislature of the state of Utah:
45 Section 1. Section 26B-1-501 is amended to read:
46 26B-1-501 . Definitions.
47 As used in this part:
48 (1) "Abuse" means the same as that term is defined in Section 80-1-102.
49 (2) "Child" means the same as that term is defined in Section 80-1-102.
50 (3) "Committee" means a fatality review committee that is formed under Section 26B-1-503
51 or 26B-1-504.
52 (4) "Dependency" means the same as that term is defined in Section 80-1-102.
53 (5) "Formal review" means a review of a death or a near fatality that is ordered under
54 Subsection 26B-1-502(6).
55 (6) "Near fatality" means alleged abuse or neglect that, as certified by a physician or
56 physician assistant, places a child in serious or critical condition.
57 (7) "Qualified individual" means an individual who:
58 (a) at the time that the individual dies, is a resident of a facility or program that is owned
59 or operated by the department or a division of the department;
60 (b) (i) is in the custody of the department or a division of the department; and
61 (ii) is placed in a residential placement by the department or a division of the
62 department;
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63 (c) at the time that the individual dies, has an open case for the receipt of child welfare
64 services, including:
65 (i) an investigation for abuse, neglect, or dependency;
66 (ii) foster care;
67 (iii) in-home services; or
68 (iv) substitute care;
69 (d) had an open case for the receipt of child welfare services within one year before the
70 day on which the individual dies;
71 (e) was the subject of an accepted referral received by Adult Protective Services within
72 one year before the day on which the individual dies, if:
73 (i) the department or a division of the department is aware of the death; and
74 (ii) the death is reported as a homicide, suicide, or an undetermined cause;
75 (f) received services from, or under the direction of, the Division of Services for People
76 with Disabilities within one year before the day on which the individual dies, unless
77 the individual:
78 (i) lived in the individual's home at the time of death; and
79 (ii) the director of the Division of Continuous Quality and Improvement determines
80 that the death was not in any way related to services that were provided by, or
81 under the direction of, the department or a division of the department;
82 (g) dies within 60 days after the day on which the individual is discharged from the Utah
83 State Hospital, if the department is aware of the death;
84 (h) is a child who:
85 (i) suffers a near fatality; and
86 (ii) is the subject of an open case for the receipt of child welfare services within one
87 year before the day on which the child suffered the near fatality, including:
88 (A) an investigation for abuse, neglect, or dependency;
89 (B) foster care;
90 (C) in-home services; or
91 (D) substitute care; or
92 (i) is designated as a qualified individual by the executive director.
93 (8) "Neglect" means the same as that term is defined in Section 80-1-102.
94 (9) "Substitute care" means the same as that term is defined in Section 80-1-102.
95 Section 2. Section 26B-2-201 is amended to read:
96 26B-2-201 . Definitions.
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97 As used in this part:
98 (1) (a) "Abortion clinic" means a type I abortion clinic or a type II abortion clinic.
99 (b) "Abortion clinic" does not mean a clinic that meets the definition of hospital under
100 Section 76-7-301 or Section 76-71-101.
101 (2) "Activities of daily living" means essential activities including:
102 (a) dressing;
103 (b) eating;
104 (c) grooming;
105 (d) bathing;
106 (e) toileting;
107 (f) ambulation;
108 (g) transferring; and
109 (h) self-administration of medication.
110 (3) "Ambulatory surgical facility" means a freestanding facility, which provides surgical
111 services to patients not requiring hospitalization.
112 (4) "Assistance with activities of daily living" means providing of or arranging for the
113 provision of assistance with activities of daily living.
114 (5) (a) "Assisted living facility" means:
115 (i) a type I assisted living facility, which is a residential facility that provides
116 assistance with activities of daily living and social care to two or more residents
117 who:
118 (A) require protected living arrangements; and
119 (B) are capable of achieving mobility sufficient to exit the facility without the
120 assistance of another person; and
121 (ii) a type II assisted living facility, which is a residential facility with a home-like
122 setting that provides an array of coordinated supportive personal and health care
123 services available 24 hours per day to residents who have been assessed under
124 department rule to need any of these services.
125 (b) Each resident in a type I or type II assisted living facility shall have a service plan
126 based on the assessment, which may include:
127 (i) specified services of intermittent nursing care;
128 (ii) administration of medication; and
129 (iii) support services promoting residents' independence and self-sufficiency.
130 (6) "Birthing center" means a facility that:
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131 (a) receives maternal clients and provides care during pregnancy, delivery, and
132 immediately after delivery; and
133 (b) (i) is freestanding; or
134 (ii) is not freestanding, but meets the requirements for an alongside midwifery unit
135 described in Subsection 26B-2-228(7).
136 (7) "Committee" means the Health Facility Committee created in Section 26B-1-204.
137 (8) "Consumer" means any person not primarily engaged in the provision of health care to
138 individuals or in the administration of facilities or institutions in which such care is
139 provided and who does not hold a fiduciary position, or have a fiduciary interest in any
140 entity involved in the provision of health care, and does not receive, either directly or
141 through his spouse, more than 1/10 of his gross income from any entity or activity
142 relating to health care.
143 (9) "End stage renal disease facility" means a facility which furnishes staff-assisted kidney
144 dialysis services, self-dialysis services, or home-dialysis services on an outpatient basis.
145 (10) "Freestanding" means existing independently or physically separated from another
146 health care facility by fire walls and doors and administrated by separate staff with
147 separate records.
148 (11) "General acute hospital" means a facility which provides diagnostic, therapeutic, and
149 rehabilitative services to both inpatients and outpatients by or under the supervision of
150 physicians.
151 (12) "Governmental unit" means the state, or any county, municipality, or other political
152 subdivision or any department, division, board, or agency of the state, a county,
153 municipality, or other political subdivision.
154 (13) (a) "Health care facility" means general acute hospitals, specialty hospitals, home
155 health agencies, hospices, nursing care facilities, residential-assisted living facilities,
156 birthing centers, ambulatory surgical facilities, small health care facilities, abortion
157 clinics, a clinic that meets the definition of hospital under Section 76-7-301 or
158 76-71-201, facilities owned or operated by health maintenance organizations, end
159 stage renal disease facilities, and any other health care facility which the committee
160 designates by rule.
161 (b) "Health care facility" does not include the offices of private physicians or dentists,
162 whether for individual or group practice, except that it does include an abortion clinic.
163 (14) "Health maintenance organization" means an organization, organized under the laws of
164 any state which:
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165 (a) is a qualified health maintenance organization under 42 U.S.C. Sec. 300e-9; or
166 (b) (i) provides or otherwise makes available to enrolled participants at least the
167 following basic health care services: usual physician services, hospitalization,
168 laboratory, x-ray, emergency, and preventive services and out-of-area coverage;
169 (ii) is compensated, except for copayments, for the provision of the basic health
170 services listed in Subsection (14)(b)(i) to enrolled participants by a payment
171 which is paid on a periodic basis without regard to the date the health services are
172 provided and which is fixed without regard to the frequency, extent, or kind of
173 health services actually provided;[ and]
174 (iii) provides physicians' services primarily directly through physicians who are
175 either employees or partners of such organizations, or through arrangements with
176 individual physicians or one or more groups of physicians organized on a group
177 practice or individual practice basis[.] ; and
178 (iv) provides physician assistant services.
179 (15) (a) "Home health agency" means an agency, organization, or facility or a
180 subdivision of an agency, organization, or facility which employs two or more direct
181 care staff persons who provide licensed nursing services, therapeutic services of
182 physical therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, medical social services, or
183 home health aide services on a visiting basis.
184 (b) "Home health agency" does not mean an individual who provides services under the
185 authority of a private license.
186 (16) "Hospice" means a program of care for the terminally ill and their families which
187 occurs in a home or in a health care facility and which provides medical, palliative,
188 psychological, spiritual, and supportive care and treatment.
189 (17) "Nursing care facility" means a health care facility, other than a general acute or
190 specialty hospital, constructed, licensed, and operated to provide patient living
191 accommodations, 24-hour staff availability, and at least two of the following patient
192 services:
193 (a) a selection of patient care services, under the direction and supervision of a registered
194 nurse, ranging from continuous medical, skilled nursing, psychological, or other
195 professional therapies to intermittent health-related or paraprofessional personal care
196 services;
197 (b) a structured, supportive social living environment based on a professionally designed
198 and supervised treatment plan, oriented to the individual's habilitation or
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199 rehabilitation needs; or
200 (c) a supervised living environment that provides support, training, or assistance with
201 individual activities of daily living.
202 (18) "Person" means any individual, firm, partnership, corporation, company, association,
203 or joint stock association, and the legal successor thereof.
204 (19) "Resident" means a person 21 years old or older who:
205 (a) as a result of physical or mental limitations or age requires or requests services
206 provided in an assisted living facility; and
207 (b) does not require intensive medical or nursing services as provided in a hospital or
208 nursing care facility.
209 (20) "Small health care facility" means a four to 16 bed facility that provides licensed
210 health care programs and services to residents.
211 (21) "Specialty hospital" means a facility which provides specialized diagnostic,
212 therapeutic, or rehabilitative services in the recognized specialty or specialties for which
213 the hospital is licensed.
214 (22) "Substantial compliance" means in a department survey of a licensee, the department
215 determines there is an absence of deficiencies which would harm the physical health,
216 mental health, safety, or welfare of patients or residents of a licensee.
217 (23) "Type I abortion clinic" means a facility, including a physician's office, but not
218 including a general acute or specialty hospital, that:
219 (a) performs abortions, as defined in Section 76-7-301, during the first trimester of
220 pregnancy; and
221 (b) does not perform abortions, as defined in Section 76-7-301, after the first trimester of
222 pregnancy.
223 (24) "Type II abortion clinic" means a facility, including a physician's office, but not
224 including a general acute or specialty hospital, that:
225 (a) performs abortions, as defined in Section 76-7-301, after the first trimester of
226 pregnancy; or
227 (b) performs abortions, as defined in Section 76-7-301, during the first trimester of
228 pregnancy and after the first trimester of pregnancy.
229 Section 3. Section 26B-3-123 is amended to read:
230 26B-3-123 . Reimbursement of telemedicine services and telepsychiatric
231 consultations.
232 (1) As used in this section:
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233 (a) "Telehealth services" means the same as that term is defined in Section 26B-4-704.
234 (b) "Telemedicine services" means the same as that term is defined in Section 26B-4-704.
235 (c) "Telepsychiatric consultation" means a consul