HB 97-TELEHEALTH: PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS; DRUGS  4:03:52 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ announced that the next order of business would be HOUSE BILL NO. 97, "An Act relating to the prescription of drugs by a physician assistant without physical examination." 4:04:02 PM REID HARRIS, Staff, Representative Jonathan Kreiss-Tomkins, Alaska State Legislature, paraphrased from the Sponsor Statement [Included in members' packets], which read: The 2016 Medicaid Reform Bill (SB 74) provided for the use of telehealth, revising Alaska statutes to require the Alaska State Medical Board to adopt regulations and guidelines for physicians rendering a diagnosis; providing treatment; or prescribing, dispensing, or administering a prescription drug to a person without first conducting a physical examination under AS 08.64.364. However, SB 74 only addressed physicians and the Board's interpretation was that the bill's provisions should not apply to physician assistants (PA's). This effectively barred PA's from practicing telemedicine, requiring them to first conduct in-person examinations. House Bill 97 aligns statute with the intent of the Medicaid Reform Bill, clarifying that PA's can provide telemedicine in collaboration with and under the oversight of physicians. Under HB97, PA's are subject to the same statutory oversight as physicians regarding the practice of telemedicine, as well as the same disciplinary sanctions when appropriate. Alaska, with its vast geographical challenges and limited access to vital healthcare, stands to benefit from this legislation. HB 97 will increase patient access to care, extending the reach of medicine to medically underserved areas. 4:05:58 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked for clarification that this bill was necessary because the State Medical Board had interpreted Senate Bill 74 as to not include physician assistants. He asked if Ms. Stovern believed that the intent of Senate Bill 74 was to include physician assistants. 4:06:51 PM DEBORAH STOVERN, Executive Administrator, State Medical Board, Division of Corporations, Business, and Professional Licensing, Department of Commerce, Community & Economic Development, offered her belief that the State Medical Board could not determine the legislative intent regarding physician assistants so other stakeholders asked that the proposed bill clarify that physician assistants would be covered under the statute. 4:07:58 PM REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT asked if the State Medical Board covered physicians assistants as well as physicians. MS. STOVERN replied "yes, they do." REPRESENTATIVE PRUITT shared his concern that, as more people were allowed the opportunity to prescribe up to Schedule II drugs, there may be a challenge as physicians assistants would no longer have to interact with a patient for these controlled substances. MS. STOVERN, in response, stated that part of the statute required the board to adopt the nationally published American Medical Association guidelines for practicing telehealth by physician assistants. She added that the collaborative plan with the supervising physician determined the scope of practice by the physician assistant and included the type of prescriptive authority. 4:11:49 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ asked for confirmation that physician assistants had to utilize the Prescription Drug Monitoring Database (PDMP). MS. STOVERN said that anyone prescribing controlled substances was required to use the PDMP and this would include physician assistants engaging in prescriptions through telehealth. 4:12:45 PM CO-CHAIR SPOHNHOLZ closed public testimony. 4:12:58 PM REPRESENTATIVE DRUMMOND moved to report CSHB 97, Version 31- LS0695\M, Marx, 3/21/19, from committee with individual recommendations and the accompanying fiscal notes. There being no objection, CSHB97(HSS) was moved from the House Health and Social Services Standing Committee.