Pennsylvania Code
Title 49 - PROFESSIONAL AND VOCATIONAL STANDARDS
Part I - DEPARTMENT OF STATE
Subpart A - PROFESSIONAL AND OCCUPATIONAL AFFAIRS
Chapter 18 - STATE BOARD OF
Subchapter D - PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT UTILIZATION
Section 18.151 - Role of physician assistant

(a) The physician assistant practices medicine with physician supervision. A physician assistant may perform those duties and responsibilities, including the ordering, prescribing, dispensing, and administration of drugs and medical devices, as well as the ordering, prescribing, and executing of diagnostic and therapeutic medical regimens, as directed by the supervising physician.

(b) The physician assistant may provide any medical service as directed by the supervising physician when the service is within the physician assistant's skills, training and experience, forms a component of the physician's scope of practice, is included in the written agreement and is provided with the amount of supervision in keeping with the accepted standards of medical practice.

(c) The physician assistant may pronounce death, but not the cause of death, and may authenticate with the physician assistant's signature any form related to pronouncing death. If the attending physician is not available, the physician assistant shall notify the county coroner. The coroner has the authority to release the body of the deceased to the funeral director.

(d) The physician assistant may authenticate with the physician assistant's signature any form that may otherwise be authenticated by a physician's signature as permitted by the supervising physician, State or Federal law and facility protocol, if applicable.

(e) The physician assistant shall be considered the agent of the supervising physician in the performance of all practice-related activities including the ordering of diagnostic, therapeutic and other medical services.