Arkansas Administrative Code
Agency 007 - Arkansas Department of Health
Division 33 - Division of Health Related Boards and Commissions
Rule 007.33.22-010 - Rule 24 - Physician Assistants

a. Answer all questions to include the providing of all documentation requested on an application form as provided by the Arkansas State Medical Board;

b. Pay the required fee for licensure as delineated elsewhere in this rule;

c. Provide proof of successful completion of Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination, as administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants;

d. Certify and provide such documentation, as the Arkansas State Medical Board should require that the applicant is mentally and physically able to engage safely in the role as a physician assistant;

e. Certify that the applicant is not under any current discipline, revocation, suspension or probation or investigation from any other licensing board;

f. Provide letters of recommendation as to quality of practice history;

g. The applicant should be at least 21 years of age;

h. Show proof of graduation with a Bachelor's Degree from an accredited college or university or prior service as a military corpsman;

i. Provide proof of graduation from a physician assistant education program recognized by the Accreditation Review Commission on Education for the Physician Assistant or by its successor agency, and has passed the Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination administered by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants;

j. The submission to the Board of a delegation agreement delineating the scope of practice that the physician assistant will engage in, the program of evaluation and supervision by the supervising physician;

a. This delegation agreement is to be completed and signed by the physician assistant and his/her designated supervising physician. Said delegation agreement will be written in the form issued by the Arkansas State Medical Board. Said protocol must be accepted by the Arkansas State Medical Board prior to licensure of the physician assistant.

b. The delegation agreement as completed by the physician assistant and the supervising physician will include the following:

c. A copy of the approved must be kept at the practice location of the physician assistant.

a. A physician assistant must be authorized by his supervising physician to prescribe legend drugs and scheduled medication for patients. Said authorization must be stated in the delegation agreement and the request approved by the Board. A supervising physician may only authorize a physician assistant to prescribe schedule medication that the physician is authorized to prescribe. A physician assistant may only be authorized to receive, prescribe, order and administer schedule 2 through 5 medications, except that a physician assistant may prescribe hydrocodone combination products reclassified from Schedule 3 to Schedule 2 as of October 6, 2014, if authorized by the physician assistant's supervising physician, and in accord with other requirements of the section. Prescriptions written by a physician assistant must contain the name of the supervising physician on the prescription. A physician assistant's prescriptive authority extends to drugs in Schedule 2, except regarding hydrocodone as stated above, only if the prescription is for:

b. The physician assistant will make an entry in the patient chart noting the name of the medication, the strength, the dosage, the quantity prescribed, the directions, the number of refills, together with the signature of the physician assistant and the printed name of the supervising physician for every prescription written for a patient by the physician assistant.

c. Patient care orders generated by a physician assistant shall be construed as having the same medical, health, and legal force and effect as if the orders were generated by the physician assistant's supervising physician. The orders shall be complied with and carried out as if the orders has been issued by the physician assistant's supervising physician.

d. Physician assistants who prescribe controlled substances shall register with the Drug Enforcement Administration as part of the Drug Enforcement Administration's Mid-Level Practitioner Registry, 21 C.F.R. Part 1300, 58 FR 3 1 171-31175, and the Controlled Substances Act.

a. Physician assistants provide medical services to patients consistent with the physician assistant's license, area of practice, or authorized under the delegation agreement. Physician assistants will have to provide medical services to the patients consistent with the standards that a licensed physician would provide to a patient. As such, the physician assistant must comply with the standards of medical care of a licensed physician as stated in the Medical Practices Act, the Rules of the Board and the Orders of the Arkansas State Medical Board. A violation of said standards can result in the revocation or suspension of the license when ordered by the Board after disciplinary charges are brought.

b. A physician assistant must clearly identify himself or herself to the patient by displaying an appropriate designation, that is a badge, name plate with the words "physician assistant" appearing thereon.

c. A physician assistant will not receive directly from a patient or an insurance provider of a patient any monies for the services he or she renders the patient. Payment of any bills or fees for labor performed by the physician assistant will be paid to the employer of the physician assistant and not directly to the physician assistant.

d. A physician assistant may pronounce death and may authenticate with his or her signature a form that may be authenticated by a supervising physician's signature as authorized under A.C.A. § 17-80-120.

e. A physician assistant may render care within his or her scope of practice when responding to a need for medical care created by an emergency or a state or local disaster if the physician assistant is:

a. A physician assistant who holds an active license to practice in the State of Arkansas shall complete 20 credit hours per year continuing medical education.

b. If a person holding an active license as a physician assistant in this State fails to meet the foregoing requirement because of illness, military service, medical or religious missionary activity, residence in a foreign country, or other extenuating circumstances, the Board upon appropriate written application may grant an extension of time to complete the same on an individual basis.

c. Each year, with the application for renewal of an active license as a physician assistant in this state, the Board will include a form which requires the person holding the license to certify by signature, under penalty of perjury, and disciplined by the Board, that he or she has met the stipulating continuing medical education requirements. In addition, the Board may randomly require physician assistants submitting such a certification to demonstrate, prior to renewal of license, satisfaction of continuing medical education requirements stated in his or her certification.

d. Continuing medical education records must be kept by the licensee in an orderly manner.

All records relative to continuing medical education must be maintained by the licensee for at least three years from the end of the reporting period. The records or copies of the forms must be provided or made available to the Arkansas State Medical Board.

e. Failure to complete continuing education hours as required or failure to be able to produce records reflecting that one has completed the required minimum medical education hours shall be a violation and may result in the licensee having his license suspended and/or revoked.

f. A physician assistant who is authorized to prescribe Schedule II hydrocodone combination products reclassified from Schedule 3 to Schedule 2 as of October 6, 2014, must complete at least five (5) continuing education hours in the area of pain management.

g. Each year, each physician assistant shall obtain at least one (1) hour of CME credit specifically regarding the prescribing of opioids and benzodiazepines. The one hour may be included in the twenty (20) credit hours per year of continuing medical education required and shall not constitute an additional hour of CME per year.