SB0915 revises Maryland law governing how physicians and physician assistants may delegate certain clinical tasks, with a major focus on X-ray-related duties. The bill creates a new registration framework for “limited X-ray machine operators,” requiring registration with the State Board of Physicians, specified education and clinical training, continuing education, criminal history checks, and Board-set fees. It also authorizes physician assistants to perform limited extremity X-rays under defined conditions, including completion of a course on radiographic studies, direct supervision, use of a mini C-arm or similar low-level radiation machine, and Board approval as an advanced duty under a collaboration agreement.
The bill also recodifies and clarifies existing delegation provisions for registered cardiovascular invasive specialists and supervised medical graduates. It establishes separate sections for those roles, sets supervision and documentation requirements, limits supervised medical graduate practice to two years, and authorizes civil penalties for hospitals that fail to comply with the fluoroscopy/cardiac catheterization requirements. In addition, it adds a disciplinary section allowing the Board to deny, reprimand, place on probation, suspend, or revoke a limited X-ray machine operator registration for fraud, incompetence, unprofessional conduct, scope violations, failure to supervise properly, or failure to meet training and criminal background requirements.
The bill’s impact on state law is to replace a prior unlicensed X-ray-duty framework with a more formal registration and enforcement system, while preserving narrow delegated practice pathways for certain health professionals. It amends the Health Occupations Article, especially provisions in Title 14 and Title 15, and updates the Board of Physicians’ authority to regulate, inspect, and discipline these delegated practices. It also clarifies when unlicensed individuals may use terms like “physician’s assistant” or “physician’s aide” without being considered to be unlawfully practicing medicine.
Overall sentiment around the bill appears strongly favorable and noncontroversial. The recorded votes were unanimous in both chambers, indicating broad bipartisan support and little visible opposition in the legislative record provided. The absence of committee transcript objections suggests the bill was viewed as a technical but practical update to physician delegation rules and workforce regulation.
The main points of potential contention are not reflected in the vote totals, but the bill does raise policy questions about patient safety, scope of practice, and oversight. These include whether limited X-ray operators and physician assistants should be allowed to perform radiographic procedures, how much training is sufficient, and how much responsibility should fall on physicians, hospitals, and the Board for compliance. The bill addresses those concerns by imposing supervision, registration, and disciplinary safeguards rather than expanding practice authority without limits.
SB0915 amends the Health Occupations Article to create a registration-based system for limited X-ray machine operators, add disciplinary authority and penalties for violations, and recodify delegation rules for cardiovascular invasive specialists and supervised medical graduates. It also expands physician assistant authority to perform certain extremity X-rays under Board-approved advanced duty arrangements, while preserving Board oversight, training standards, and criminal background requirements for affected practitioners and employers.
The bill appears to have been received positively and without significant controversy. It passed both chambers unanimously, and no committee transcript opposition is provided. The voting record suggests broad agreement that the bill is a technical regulatory update that clarifies delegation authority while adding safeguards.
Any substantive contention would likely center on scope-of-practice and patient-safety issues: whether non-licensed or specially registered personnel should perform X-rays, how much training and supervision should be required, and how much liability should rest with physicians, physician assistants, hospitals, and the Board. The bill responds to those concerns by limiting procedures, requiring registration and continuing education, and authorizing discipline and civil penalties for noncompliance.