37-20-301. Utilization plan required -- contents -- approval. (1) A physician, office, firm, state institution, or professional service corporation may not employ or make use of the services of a physician assistant-certified in the practice of medicine, as defined in 37-3-102, and a physician assistant-certified may not be employed or practice as a physician assistant-certified unless the physician assistant-certified:
     (a) is supervised by a licensed physician;
     (b) is licensed by the Montana state board of medical examiners; and
     (c) has received board approval of a physician assistant-certified utilization plan.
     (2) A physician assistant-certified utilization plan must set forth in detail the following information:
     (a) the name and qualifications of the supervising physician, as provided in 37-20-101, and the name and license number of the physician assistant-certified;
     (b) the nature and location of the physician's medical practice;
     (c) the scope of practice of the physician assistant-certified and the locations where the physician assistant-certified will practice;
     (d) the name and qualifications of a second physician meeting the requirements of 37-20-101 to act as an alternate supervising physician in the absence of the primary supervising physician;
     (e) necessary guidelines describing the intended availability of the supervising or alternate physician for consultation by the physician assistant-certified; and
     (f) other information the board may consider necessary.
     (3) The board shall approve the utilization plan if it finds that the practice of the physician assistant-certified is:
     (a) assigned by the supervising physician;
     (b) within the scope of the training, knowledge, experience, and practice of the supervisory physician; and
     (c) within the scope of the training, knowledge, education, and experience of the physician assistant-certified.
     (4) A supervising physician and a physician assistant-certified may submit a new or additional utilization plan to the board for approval without reestablishing the criteria set out in 37-20-402, so long as the information requirements of subsection (2) have been met and the appropriate fee provided for in 37-20-302(1) has been paid.
     (5) A utilization plan may provide that a physician assistant-certified be allowed to furnish services on a locum tenens basis at a location other than the physician assistant-certified's primary place of practice. A locum tenens utilization plan may be approved by a single board member.

     History: En. Sec. 2, Ch. 380, L. 1981; amd. Sec. 14, Ch. 97, L. 1989; amd. Sec. 2, Ch. 446, L. 1991; amd. Sec. 11, Ch. 419, L. 1993.