SB956 revises West Virginia law to expand the professional autonomy and business ownership rights of physician assistants. The bill would allow physician assistants licensed in the state to perform all acts they are educated, trained, and licensed to perform without a collaborative agreement, supervisory plan, physician signature, countersignature, co-signature, or co-management requirement. It also repeals statutory, regulatory, and administrative provisions that require physician assistant supervision and makes all existing supervisory or collaborative arrangements void on the bill’s effective date.
The bill also changes business-organization rules so physician assistants may own interests in medical corporations and are expressly included in the definition of “professional service” under the Uniform Limited Liability Company Act. Related amendments to the Medical Practice Act and medical corporation provisions would allow medical corporations to have physician assistant shareholders and authorize corporations to practice through physician assistants, subject to board authorization and existing licensure requirements. The bill further states that physician assistants are held to the same standard of care as other licensed health care providers and must maintain professional liability coverage as required by law.
Impact
If enacted, SB956 would significantly alter the regulatory framework for physician assistants by eliminating supervision-based practice requirements and replacing them with independent practice authority within the scope of their education, training, and license. It would amend the Medical Practice Act, the medical corporation authorization provisions, and the LLC statute, affecting the West Virginia Board of Medicine, physician assistants, physicians who currently supervise them, and medical corporations seeking to include physician assistant owners or shareholders. The bill also preserves board discipline authority and standard-of-care expectations while removing legal barriers that currently tie physician assistant practice to physician oversight.
Sentiment
The available voting history indicates strong support in the Senate, where the bill passed 32-0, suggesting broad bipartisan or at least unanimous chamber approval. The bill’s caption and structure indicate a policy direction favoring expanded practice authority and business opportunities for physician assistants, and no committee transcript excerpts were provided showing opposition or amendment debate. Overall, the sentiment reflected in the vote is favorable toward modernization of physician assistant practice rules and professional ownership rights.
Contention
The main point of contention is likely the removal of physician supervision and collaborative agreement requirements, which shifts authority away from physicians and could raise concerns about oversight, patient safety, and scope-of-practice boundaries. Another potential issue is the bill’s treatment of existing supervisory arrangements as null and void immediately upon the effective date, which could create operational and contractual disruption for practices currently structured around supervision. Supporters are likely physician assistants and business advocates seeking greater autonomy and ownership rights, while opponents or skeptics would most likely be physician groups or regulators concerned about maintaining clinical oversight and consistent standards of care.