WAC 296-20-01501   Physician assistant rules.  (1) Physician assistants (PA) may be "treating providers" pursuant to WAC 296-20-01002, under the workers' compensation system, and they may be approved for payment for those medical services for which the physician assistant is trained and licensed, under the control and supervision of a licensed physician. Such control and supervision shall not be construed to require the personal presence of the supervising physician.

     (2) Physician assistants may perform those medical services which are within the scope of their physician's assistant license within the limitations of subsection (3) of this section.

     (3) To be eligible to treat and be paid for workers' compensation related services, the physician assistant must obtain a provider number by:

     (a) Providing the department with a copy of his/her license;

     (b) Providing the name, address, specialty, and provider number issued by the department of the supervising physician(s) on the provider application (a PA may have to obtain more than one provider number if billing under multiple supervising physicians); and

     (c) Notifying the department of any change of the parameters listed in (a) or (b) of this subsection.

     (4) Physician assistants may sign and attest to any certificates, cards, forms or other required documentation required by the department that the physician assistant's supervising physician may sign provided that it is within the physician assistant's scope of practice and is consistent with the terms of the physician assistant's practice arrangement plan as required by chapters 18.57A and 18.71A RCW. This includes but is not limited to:

     • Completing and signing the report of accident or provider's initial report, where applicable;

     • Certifying time-loss compensation;

     • Completing and submitting all required or requested reports;

     • Referring workers for consultations;

     • Facilitating early return to work offered by and performed for the employer(s) of record; and

     • Doing all that is possible to expedite the vocational process, including making an estimate of the worker's physical or mental capacities that affect the worker's employability.

     (5) Physician assistants cannot:

     • Rate permanent disability or impairment; and

     • Perform independent medical examinations or consultations.



[Statutory Authority: 2007 c 263, RCW 51.04.020 and 51.04.030. 08-04-095, § 296-20-01501, filed 2/5/08, effective 2/22/08. Statutory Authority: 2004 c 65 and 2004 c 163. 04-22-085, § 296-20-01501, filed 11/2/04, effective 12/15/04. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020. 03-21-069, § 296-20-01501, filed 10/14/03, effective 12/1/03. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020, 51.04.030 and 1993 c 159. 93-16-072, § 296-20-01501, filed 8/1/93, effective 9/1/93. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.020(4), 51.04.030, and51.16.120 (3). 81-24-041 (Order 81-28), § 296-20-01501, filed 11/30/81, effective 1/1/82; 81-01-100 (Order 80-29), § 296-20-01501, filed 12/23/80, effective 3/1/81. Statutory Authority: RCW 51.04.030 and 51.16.035. 79-12-086 (Order 79-18), § 296-20-01501, filed 11/30/79, effective 1/1/80.]