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Bill

SD 1927

An Act enabling physician assistants to authorize psychiatric holds and ensure adequate training on their use

194th Legislature (2025-2026) Introduced by John Cronin and 3 co-sponsors

Massachusetts bill expands physician assistants' authority to authorize emergency psychiatric holds with mandatory training requirements for implementation.

House concurred
0
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Bill Summary · SD 1927

Legislative bill overview

SD 1927 expands the authority of physician assistants (PAs) in Massachusetts to initiate psychiatric holds (involuntary mental health commitments), a power currently limited primarily to physicians and certain mental health professionals. The bill also mandates training requirements for PAs who exercise this authority, establishing standards for proper implementation of these emergency interventions.

Why is this important

Psychiatric holds are serious interventions that temporarily remove individual liberty for mental health reasons, requiring careful oversight and proper training. This bill addresses potential workforce gaps in emergency psychiatric services while raising questions about consistency in decision-making authority across different clinical practitioners. The outcome could affect both the accessibility of emergency mental health interventions and the due process protections surrounding involuntary commitments.

Potential points of contention

  • Clinical equivalency debate: Whether PAs receive equivalent psychiatric training compared to physicians and psychiatrists, or if their different educational pathways create inconsistent standards for such consequential decisions
  • Due process concerns: Whether expanding who can authorize holds might create inconsistent application of this liberty-restricting power, potentially disadvantaging vulnerable populations
  • Training adequacy: Questions about what constitutes sufficient training, who determines it, how it's verified, and whether minimum standards will be enforceable across different healthcare settings

Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.

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