Bill
HB 2468
Illinois expands physician assistants’ autonomous prescribing and practice, removing mandatory written agreements if certain experience/education criteria are met.
Status / Key dates
- Introduced: February 4, 2025 (Rep. Barbara Hernandez, Illinois)
- Passed both chambers, enrolled and sent to the Governor; signed into law: June 20, 2025
- Effective: Immediately upon signing
- Statutes amended: Physician Assistant Practice Act of 1987 (225 ILCS 95) and related provisions of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act (720 ILCS 570)
- Companion: SB 1107
Purpose
- To expand the scope of practice and prescriptive authority of physician assistants (PAs) in Illinois and to change supervision/collaboration requirements and certain regulatory provisions governing PA practice.
Major provisions
- Expanded scope of practice: The bill explicitly includes in the definition of “physician assistant practice” the authority to prescribe, dispense, order, administer, and procure drugs and medical devices.
- Prescriptive authority without delegation: PAs are authorized to prescribe and otherwise handle medications and medical devices without a physician’s delegated authority in circumstances specified by the Act and corresponding amendments to the Controlled Substances Act.
- Practice without written collaborative agreement: The Act removes an absolute requirement that PAs practice only under a written collaborative agreement and creates a pathway for PAs to practice without such an agreement if specific conditions are met.
- Exemption pathway: A PA who files a notarized attestation with the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation certifying completion of at least 250 hours of continuing education or training and at least 2,000 hours of clinical experience after initial national certification need not maintain a written collaborative agreement to practice.
- Definitions and organizational changes: Multiple definitions (including title and role of “physician assistant,” “collaborating physician,” etc.) are revised; new sections (7.8, 7.9) are added.
- Hospitals and affiliated settings: The bill revises provisions governing PA practice, credentialing, and privileging in hospitals, hospital affiliates, and ambulatory surgical treatment centers (details in the amended Act).
- Discipline, limitations, and inactive status: The bill updates limitations on practice and grounds for disciplinary action; it also amends rules related to inactive status and licensure interactions with physicians’ licenses.
- Controlled Substances Act: Corresponding amendments permit PAs, under the new PA prescriptive framework, to be treated as authorized prescribers for controlled substances where applicable under state and federal law.
Who is affected
- Physician assistants — expands autonomous practice and prescribing ability under defined conditions.
- Physicians — changes in collaboration/supervision models and written agreement use.
- Hospitals, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers — credentialing and privileging rules may be adjusted.
- Patients and health systems — potential effects on access to care and clinical workflows.
- Regulatory agencies — the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and law enforcement/pharmacy boards will implement and enforce new rules, including modifications to controlled substance prescribing oversight.
Procedural / implementation notes
- The Act takes immediate effect upon the Governor’s signature (June 20, 2025).
- Regulatory implementation and any rulemaking by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation will determine operational detail (forms for attestation, scope limits, reporting, controlled-substance registration and monitoring, etc.).
Potential impacts (neutral overview)
- Likely to increase PA autonomy and prescribing capacity, which may expand access to care, particularly in underserved areas.
- Shifts some supervisory responsibilities away from mandatory written agreements, placing emphasis on attested experience/education and regulatory oversight.
- Requires updates to institutional credentialing, pharmacy dispensing policies, and controlled-substance monitoring systems to reflect the expanded PA authority.
Compiled from official sources — confirm details with the bill’s official record.
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