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State Advocacy Center
The 2026 Legislative Session is Underway
Several Bills Poised to Change PA Practice in RI. Some Good and Some May Be Devastating ! Senate Bill No. 2868 (RIAPA SUPPORTS) BY Valverde, Lauria, Urso, Acosta, Ujifusa, Euer, Thompson, DiMario, Murray, Gallo ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (Increases continuing education requirements for physician assistants, removes restrictions of PAs to render charitable care and aid for school and youth programs or cardiac arrest and removes restrictive covenants as to ownership by a PA.) --------------------------- BY Bennett, Edwards, Speakman, McNamara, Handy, Donovan, Hull, Carson, Shallcross Smith, Shanley ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (Increases continuing education requirements for physician assistants, removes restrictions of PAs to render charitable care and aid for school and youth programs or cardiac arrest and removes restrictive covenants as to ownership by a PA.) The RIAPA Submitted this bill to help further PA practice in RI and to clean up the definition of collaboration. Please click the below link to help us SUPPORT this bill. Click to Take Action HB-7935 and SB-2868
House Bill No. 7740 (RIAPA OPPOSES) BY McNamara, Corvese, Chippendale ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- NURSES (Details each of those limited emergency circumstances where a registered nurse and advanced practice registered nurses, may safely administer sedation, such as critical life-saving or emergency situations where there is an imminent threat to life or limb.) The RIAPA OPPOSES This Bill This bill would essentially restrict or prohibit PAs in multiple settings from providing mild or moderate conscious sedation except for very limited emergency situations. If you provide mild sedation for outpatient procedures or inpatient procedures (not in a critical care setting) then this bill would prohibit you from providing any sedation. Please click the below link to help us OPPOSE this bill. Click Here to Take Action on HB-7740
Senate Bill No. 2859 (RIAPA OPPOSES) BY DiMario, Lauria, Zurier, Murray, Valverde, Euer, Kallman, Acosta, DiPalma, Pearson ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS (This bill seeks to establish a new type of PA License for the provision of Behavioral Health Services and would require the holder to possess a current NCCPA CAQ in Psychiatry among other criteria) The RIAPA OPPOSES this bill for several reasons. First and foremost, this bill would create a separate category of PA license and begin to segregate PAs into areas of practice and specialty rather than honoring the broad training and flexibility that the training and profession provides. Additionally, requiring a NCCPA CAQ to practice in Psychiatry creates a Catch-22 where a CAQ is required but one of the requirements is for 2000 hours of experience working in Behavior Health/Psychiatry. This would force PAs out of state to obtain the 1+ years of training needed to apply and test for the CAQ. Lastly it opens a door where other areas would possibly a CAQ such as CVTS, Orthopedics, Pediatrics, Dermatology, OB/GYN, Hospital Medicine, Nephrology, Geriatric Medicine, Occupational Medicine and Emergency Medicine. The RIAPA recognizes that there are barriers and restrictions for Behavioral Health PAs and is working with the AAPA to identify better pathways to overcome these barriers. We do not feel that this legislation is the appropriate pathway,
BY Ujifusa, Mack, DiMario, Lauria, Valverde, Kallman, Acosta, Murray, Quezada ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- RHODE ISLAND BAN ON THE CORPORATE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE ACT (Establishes the Rhode Island Ban on the Corporate Practice of Medicine Act.) ------------------------ House Bill No. 7721 (RIAPA FOLLOWING TO BE SURE IT DOESN'T EFFECT PAs) BY Fogarty, McEntee, Shanley, Ajello, Tanzi, Shallcross Smith, Kazarian, Carson, McGaw, Speakman ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO HEALTH AND SAFETY -- RHODE ISLAND BAN ON THE CORPORATE PRACTICE OF MEDICINE ACT (Establishes the Rhode Island Ban on the Corporate Practice of Medicine Act.)
Senate Bill No. 2111 (RIAPA FOLLOWING FOR LANGUAGE CHANGES) BY Lauria, DiMario, Murray, Valverde, Kallman, Ujifusa, Pearson, Zurier, Urso, Euer ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- NURSES (Allows advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and physicians who are and are not licensed in Rhode Island to provide telemedicine services to patients who are in the state when those services are rendered.) ------------------------- BY Potter, McNamara, Giraldo, Kislak, Bennett, Cotter, Corvese, Voas ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- NURSES (Allows advanced practice registered nurses, physician assistants, and physicians who are and are not licensed in Rhode Island to provide telemedicine services to patients who are in the state when those services are rendered.) Notes: PAs and Telemedicine, Problems include language regarding the medical board identified instead of the PA Board and requiring PAs to be licensed physicians.
House Bill No. 7076 (RIAPA FOLLOWING) BY Bennett, Shallcross Smith, Corvese, Fogarty, Carson, Potter, Cortvriend, Donovan, Fellela, Read ENTITLED, AN ACT RELATING TO BUSINESSES AND PROFESSIONS -- CERTIFIED SURGICAL FIRST ASSISTANTS ACT (Allows for the licensing of certified surgical first assistants to assist in surgeries through the department of health and a 7 member board of licensure.) |
What We Recently Accomplished |
PA Modernization Act |
On 15 July 2019 Governor Gina Raimondo signed into law theThe PA Modernization Act of 2019 The Act makes significant updates to the RhodeIsland PA Practice Act that reflects the evolution of the education and role of PAs. The major change in the law is a shift from a "supervisory" to a "collaborative" PA-Physician relationship. As part of this change, PAs and physicians will no longer be required to have a detailed practice agreement. In addition delegation of specific services will be no longer required and physicians will no longer be liable for all acts by the PA.
The RIAPA advocacy team led by PA Jim Carney, Director of Advocacy and Government Affairs, along with lobbyist Patrick Quinlan worked tirelessly for over three years on the passage of this legislation. Carson Walker, AAPA Director for State Advocacy and Outreach and the Rhode Island Medical Society provided invaluable support. To view the revised law click HERE |
RIAPA Advocacy Timeline RIAPA has a long history of accomplishments that have afforded Rhode Island PAs with one of the best practice environments in the country. Here's a list of what we have been able to accomplish ......... 1976 – RIAPA founded as a Chartered Constituent Organizations of the American Academy of PAs. That same year Rhode Island General Assembly enacted RIGL 5-54 authorizing PA practice. 1978 – The Rhode Island Medical Society accepts PAs as members 1982 – RIGL 5-54 amended to specifically to correct technical isssues that impeded the registration of PAs by the Department of Health 1988 – RIGL 5-54 amended to remove the requirement that the supervising physician’s presence was required in the facility at all times. 1991 – PAs granted prescriptive privileges for all legend medications and Schedule V controlled substances. At the same time the restriction of two PAs per supervising physician was deleted for PAs working in hospitals. 1995 – Supervision was redefined by removing “regularly available” and the credential was changed from registration to licensure. 1996 – Requirement for CME was added. 1998 – PAs granted authority to prescribe Schedule II-V controlled substances and unprofessional conduct defined. 1999 – Restriction limiting 2 PAs per supervising physician was eliminated in all settings. In addition PAs were added to the “Professional Corporations Act” thereby allowing PAs to form their own corporations or become partners with PAs, physicians, and other providers. Additionaly, professional misconduct was redefined to allow for non-judicial discipline by the board. **Rhode Island becomes the first state to achieve all of the AAPA's 6 Key Elements of a Modern PA Practice Act 9 years before the elements were defined** 2003 – RIAPA successfully opposed an amendment to the Rules and Regulations for the licensing of Hospitals which would have prohibited PAs from administering anesthesia in any form including local anesthesia in hospitals 2004 – Radiologic Technology Act amended by adding PAs to the list of professionals exempt from licensure as a radiologic technologist thereby allowing PAs to perform fluoroscopy when practicing within his or her field of expertise. 2005 – PA regulations amended uncoupling licensing from employment status. 2005 – RIAPA successfully lobbied against a bill before the Senate HEW Committee which would have granted surgical technologists the same scope of practice as PAs with the exception of prescriptive practice. 2008 - Rhode Island Medical Society creates PA seat on Governing Council 2011 - Provisions added to RIGL 5-54 allowing PAs to participate in emergencies and disasters without supervision or with whatever physician supervision is available and exempting physicians from supervision requirements. 2019 - The PA Modernization Act 0f 2019 is enacted making sweeping changes to the law including:
2020 -Gov. Gina Raimondo declares a state of emergency on March 9, 2020 due to Covid. Because of legislation RIAPA lobbied for in 2011, PAs were allowed to aid with more flexibility thus providing additional healthcare support for RI. 2021 - RIAPA successfully petitions EOHHS for regulatory changes to authorize PAs to order home healthcare services. |
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