Notice is hereby given in accordance with § 2.2-4007.01 of the Code of Virginia that the Board of Medicine intends to consider amending 18VAC85-50, Regulations Governing the Practice of Physician Assistants. The purpose of the proposed action is to implement Chapter 450 of the 2016 Acts of Assembly. Certain amendments identified by the Advisory Board of Physician Assistants were not necessary to conform the regulation to changes in the Code of Virginia enacted by Chapter 450, so those changes could not be included in an exempt action. Therefore, this Notice of Intended Regulatory Action identifies amendments that will eliminate requirements for submission to the Board of Medicine of a physician's certification that his physician assistant is competent to perform specific invasive procedures and of the arrangements he has made for coverage by an alternative physician in his absence.

The agency intends to hold a public hearing on the proposed action after publication in the Virginia Register.

Statutory Authority: §§ 54.1-2400 and 54.1-2952.1 of the Code of Virginia.

Public Comment Deadline: November 30, 2016.

Agency Contact: William L. Harp, M.D., Executive Director, Board of Medicine, 9960 Mayland Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA 23233, telephone (804) 367-4558, FAX (804) 527-4429, or email william.harp@dhp.virginia.gov.