00 HOUSE BILL NO. 480                                                                                                      
01 "An Act relating to physician assistants, including the treatment of their services                                     
02 under group health insurance policies."                                                                                 
03 BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF ALASKA:                                                                
04    * Section 1.  AS 08.64.107 is amended to read:                                                                       
05  Sec. 08.64.107.  REGULATION OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AND                                                               
06 INTENSIVE CARE PARAMEDICS.  The board shall adopt regulations regarding the                                            
07 licensure [REGISTRATION] of physician assistants and registration of mobile                                          
08 intensive care paramedics, and the medical services that they may perform, including                                   
09 the                                                                                                                    
10   (1)  [THE] educational and other qualifications; [,]                                                               
11   (2)  [THE] application and registration procedures; [,]                                                            
12   (3)  [THE] scope of activities authorized; [,] and                                                                 
13   (4)  [THE] responsibilities of the supervising or training physician.                                                
14    * Sec. 2.  AS 18.08.089(a) is amended to read:                                                                       
01  (a)  A mobile intensive care paramedic or physician assistant registered or                                          
02 licensed under AS 08.64.107 or an emergency medical technician certified under this                                    
03 chapter may make a determination and pronouncement of death of a person under the                                       
04 following circumstances:                                                                                                
05   (1)  the paramedic or emergency medical technician is an active member                                               
06 of an emergency medical service certified under this chapter;                                                           
07   (2)  neither a physician licensed under AS 08.64 nor a physician exempt                                              
08 from licensure under AS 08.64 is immediately available for consultation by radio or                                     
09 telephone communications;                                                                                               
10   (3)  the paramedic, physician assistant, or emergency medical technician                                             
11 has determined, based on acceptable medical standards, that the person has sustained                                    
12 irreversible cessation of circulatory and respiratory functions.                                                        
13    * Sec. 3.  AS 18.15.310(a) is amended to read:                                                                       
14  (a)  The withdrawal of blood for a test under AS 18.15.300 - 18.15.320 shall                                          
15 be performed in a medically approved manner.  Only a physician or physician                                            
16 assistant licensed under AS 08.64, [PHYSICIAN'S ASSISTANT REGISTERED                                                   
17 UNDER AS 08.64,] registered nurse, licensed practical nurse, or certified emergency                                     
18 medical technician may withdraw blood specimens for the purposes of AS 18.15.300 -                                      
19 18.15.320.                                                                                                              
20    * Sec. 4.  AS 21.36.090(d) is amended to read:                                                                       
21  (d)  Except to the extent necessary to comply with AS 21.42.365 and AS 21.56,                                         
22 a person may not practice or permit unfair discrimination against a person who                                          
23 provides a service covered under a group disability policy that extends coverage on an                                  
24 expense incurred basis, or under a group service or indemnity type contract issued by                                   
25 a nonprofit corporation, if the service is within the scope of the provider's occupational                              
26 license.  In this subsection, "provider" means a state licensed physician, physician                                   
27 assistant, dentist, osteopath, optometrist, chiropractor, nurse midwife, advanced nurse                                
28 practitioner, naturopath, physical therapist, occupational therapist, psychologist,                                     
29 psychological associate, or licensed clinical social worker, or certified direct-entry                                  
30 midwife.