AB 890, as amended, Ridley-Thomas. Anesthesiologist assistants.
Existing law provides for the licensure and regulation of specified healing arts licensees, including, among others, physicians and surgeons, physician assistants, nurses, and nurse anesthetists.
This bill would enact the Anesthesiologist Assistant Practice Act, which would make it unlawful for any person to hold himself or herself out as an anesthesiologist assistant unless he or she meets specified requirements. The bill would make it an unfair business practice to violate these provisions. The bill would require an anesthesiologist assistant to work under thebegin insert direction andend insert supervision of an anesthesiologist, and would require the anesthesiologist to be physically present on the premises and immediately availablebegin delete if neededend delete
to the anesthesiologist assistant when medical services are being rendered and to oversee the activities of, and accept responsibility for, the medical services being rendered by the anesthesiologist assistant. The bill would authorize an anesthesiologist assistant under the supervision of an anesthesiologist tobegin delete deliver medical services, including, but not limited to,end deletebegin insert assist the supervising anesthesiologist inend insert developing and implementing an anesthesia care plan for a patient.
Vote: majority. Appropriation: no. Fiscal committee: yes. State-mandated local program: no.
The people of the State of California do enact as follows:
Chapter 7.75 (commencing with Section 3550)
2is added to Division 2 of the Business and Professions Code, to
3read:
4
This chapter shall be known and may be cited as the
8Anesthesiologist Assistant Practice Act.
For purposes of this section, the following definitions
10shall apply:
11(a) “Anesthesiologist” means a physician and surgeon who has
12successfully completed a training program in anesthesiology
13accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical
14Education or the American Osteopathic Association or equivalent
15organizations and is licensed under Chapter 5 (commencing with
16Section 2000).
17(b) “Anesthesiologist assistant” means a person who meets the
18requirements of Section 3552.
(a) A person shall not hold himself or herself out to be
20an anesthesiologist assistant unless he or she meets the following
21requirements:
22(1) Has graduated from an anesthesiologist assistant program
23recognized by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied Health
24Education Programs or by its successor agency.
25(2) Holds an active certification by the National Commission
26on Certification for Anesthesiologist Assistants.
27(b) It is an unfair business practice within the meaning of
28Chapter 5 (commencing with Section 17200) of Part 2
of Division
297 for any person to use the title “anesthesiologist assistant” or any
30other term, including, but not limited to, “certified,” “licensed,”
31“registered,” or “AA,” that implies or suggests that the person is
P3 1certified as an anesthesiologist assistant, if the person does not
2meet the requirements of subdivision (a).
An anesthesiologist assistant shall work under the
4begin insert direction andend insert supervision of an anesthesiologist. The supervising
5anesthesiologist shall do both of the following:
6(a) Be physically present on the premises and immediately
7availablebegin delete if neededend delete to the anesthesiologist assistant when medical
8services are being rendered.
9(b) Oversee the activities of, and accept responsibility for, the
10medical services being rendered by the anesthesiologist
assistant.
Notwithstanding any other law, an anesthesiologist
12assistant under the supervision of an anesthesiologist maybegin delete deliver begin insert assist the
13medical services, including, but not limited to,end delete
14supervising anesthesiologist inend insert developing and implementing an
15anesthesia care plan for a patient.
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