Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) | File Photo
Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) | File Photo
A piece of legislation seeks to codify Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s 2020 executive order stating that physician assistants in Illinois could provide medical care without a collaborative agreement during a state of emergency if they practiced within their scope, education and training.
State Sen. Laura Murphy (D-Des Plaines) filed Senate Bill 145 to modernize Illinois' laws to reflect the current role of PA professionals.
"It is definitely time for Illinois law to catch up with other states and recognize the critical role that PAs play in medical care," Murphy said in an April 9 Facebook post.
Senate Bill 145 eliminates required bureaucratic notifications and specific "written" agreements.
However, PAs will still need to collaborate with physicians to practice, and the legislation does not call for independent practice.
The bill further ensures PAs have a seat at the table in front of state regulators to self-govern the profession.
She wrote in Patch that Illinois’ PA’s answered the call to battle COVID-19, explaining that SB 145 and its lower-chamber equivalent, House Bill 1826, garnered the support of organizations including the Southern Illinois University School of Medicine.
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