BILL ANALYSIS                                                                                                                                                                                                    Ó



                                                                  SB 233
                                                                  Page  1

          Date of Hearing:   August 17, 2011

                        ASSEMBLY COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS
                                Felipe Fuentes, Chair

                    SB 233 (Pavley) - As Amended:  July 14, 2011 

          Policy Committee:                             HealthVote:17-0

          Urgency:     No                   State Mandated Local Program: 
          No     Reimbursable:              No

           SUMMARY  

          This bill modifies definitions of key terms governing the 
          provision of emergency medical care, in order to clarify that 
          appropriate licensed persons acting within their scope of 
          licensure, in addition to physicians, can provide treatment and 
          consultation in an emergency care setting.  

           FISCAL EFFECT  

          Negligible direct state fiscal impact. This bill clarifies state 
          law and conforms state law to existing federal law and current 
          practice, and is not likely to significantly change the delivery 
          of emergency medical care.

           COMMENTS  

           Rationale  .   The author states this bill is necessary to clarify 
          that a physician assistant or other appropriate personnel can 
          continue to provide treatment and consultation in an emergency 
          care setting.  The author further states that as long as 
          evaluation, consultation and treatment is performed pursuant to 
          a provider's scope of practice, this type of care by a physician 
          assistant is routine and should not be unduly restricted by 
          omissions and lack of clarity in the current definition of 
          "emergency services and care".

          This legislation is prompted by a problem that recently arose at 
          Mission Hospital in Orange County.  In this instance, a 
          physician assistant was prohibited by the hospital from 
          providing a consultation in the emergency room (ER).  These 
          types of services are commonly authorized by supervising 
          physicians. The hospital, however, cited existing state law that 








                                                                  SB 233
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          does not explicitly authorize a physician assistant to perform 
          such consultation and treatment services in an ER setting.

           Analysis Prepared by  :    Lisa Murawski / APPR. / (916) 319-2081