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S 1502

Enacts the "responsible renewable energy recycling act"

2025 Regular Session Introduced by Tom O'Mara

MA bill expands physician assistants' scope, lets them bill directly, and requires 2,000 hours of collaborative practice for PA registration, reshaping supervision and parity.

PRINT NUMBER 1502A
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Bill Summary · S 1502

Summary — S.1502 (Print 1502A): "An Act relative to removing barriers to care for physician assistants"

Note: Some uploaded metadata (title, sponsors, committee referrals) conflicts with the bill text provided. The bill text below concerns changes to Massachusetts law governing physician assistants (PAs). This summary focuses on the statutory changes actually contained in the bill text.

Purpose

Modernize and reduce statutory barriers to PA practice in Massachusetts by clarifying permitted scope of practice, removing certain supervisory-language requirements, establishing reimbursement and billing parity, and setting a collaborative practice experience requirement tied to registration.

Key provisions (by statutory target)

  • Amends chapter 94C, §7

    • Removes the phrase requiring PA action “pursuant to guidelines mutually developed and agreed upon by the supervising physician and the physician assistant.” (i.e., deletes a statutory supervisory guideline reference.)

  • Amends chapter 111, §51J

    • Adds “or physician assistant” after “practitioner” to expand applicability of that section to PAs.

  • Substantially revises chapter 112, §9E (scope of practice)

    • States that a PA may perform medical services when within their education, training and experience and which they are competent to perform.
    • Clarifies PAs may perform general medical services, order tests and therapeutics depending on training/experience.

  • Revises liability, coverage and billing language in §9E

    • Legal responsibility for care remains that of the PA, employing physician, physician group, or healthcare facility as members of the care team.
    • Requires insurers and other payers to cover PA-provided services consistent with coverage if provided by physicians.
    • Requires identification of the PA as provider on bills/claims when they delivered services.
    • Allows PAs to bill payers directly and receive direct payment for medically necessary services.
    • Prohibits insurers/payers from imposing practice, education, or collaboration requirements more restrictive than statute/regulation.

  • Amends chapter 112, §9F (registration requirement)

    • Adds a requirement that, to obtain or renew registration, a PA must have practiced at least 2,000 hours in the context of a collaborative agreement within a hospital or integrated clinical setting where PAs and physicians work together.
    • Requires submission of written evidence of completing this collaborative practice experience.
    • Defines a collaborative agreement as a mutually agreed plan describing the working relationship and scope of collaboration; collaborating physicians and the PA must have experience with similar patient problems.
    • Removes language referencing consultation with the Board of Registration in Medicine in some regulatory contexts.

  • Amends chapter 112, §9I and §12B

    • Removes statutory references to listing the supervising physician’s name/address and removes the statutory phrase “change of supervising physician” and the word “supervising” in §12B — reducing statutory emphasis on naming a supervising physician.

  • Administrative/regulatory action

    • Directs the Board of Registration of Physician Assistants to amend 263 CMR 5.05 to conform with this act.

Who is affected

  • Physician assistants: expanded explicit scope, billing autonomy, new registration/renewal practice-hours requirement.
  • Physicians and physician groups: shifts in supervisory/ collaborative relationships and responsibilities.
  • Insurers and payers: must provide parity in coverage and may not impose more restrictive requirements than statute/regulation.
  • Patients and health systems: potential increased access to care via broader PA practice and direct billing mechanisms.
  • Regulatory boards: must update regulations (263 CMR 5.05) and adjust oversight processes.

Procedural status and timeline (from provided actions)

  • Introduced in Senate: 2025-04-29 (Read twice; referred to Committee on the Judiciary).
  • Print Number assigned: 1502A (2025-02-05 entries in docket).
  • Also referenced in committee activity as referred to Environmental Conservation and Public Health in January–February 2025, and hearings scheduled/rescheduled for July 14, 2025.
  • House concurrence is noted (dated 2025-02-27 in provided list).

Potential impacts and considerations

  • Likely to increase PA autonomy and access to services; direct billing may alter revenue flows.
  • The 2,000-hour collaborative-practice requirement creates a defined transitional/credentialing milestone that could limit immediate autonomy for new graduates until satisfied.
  • Removing certain supervisory statutory language and insurer-imposed restrictions may shift oversight from physician-directed models to role- and competency-based regulation; implementation will depend on updated board regulations (263 CMR 5.05).
  • Employers, insurers, and regulatory bodies will need to update policies and operational systems (credentialing, billing, claims) to reflect the changes.

If you want, I can produce a side-by-side comparison table of current law vs. proposed changes for each affected statutory section.

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

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