Contact Your State Senator to Vote NO on Senate Bill 271 - 

Independent Practice for Physician Assistants 

Contact your state senator today and urge them to vote “NO” on Senate Bill 271, a bill that would negatively impact patient care by removing the collaborative process that patients benefit from currently.

Senate Bill 271, is being debated in Illinois’ Spring legislative session – currently assigned to the Senate Licensed Activities Committee.

This bill seeks to remove the team approach and grant physician assistants independent practice after they complete minimal hours of continuing education and clinical training under the guise of optimal practice. 

For those physician assistants who do not qualify for optimal practice, the bill significantly weakens the collaborative relationship between physicians and physician assistants and expand the scope of practice of PA without also requiring increased training and education. For example, the bill deletes a requirement that prescriptive authority be delegated by the collaborating physician and would allow physician assistants to prescribe and administer all drugs, including Schedule II narcotic drugs by injection in all health care settings.  This is extremely dangerous for patient safety.

This bill providing for independent practice of physician assistants WILL NOT INCREASE access to care. While non-physicians often promise that scope expansions will increase access to care, especially in rural areas the evidence shows this is a failed promise. There is no data in any state, including in Illinois, that removing the team approach of collaboration with a physician provides incentive for health care professionals to move and practice in underserved areas. 

Physician assistants are trained to work as part of a team with physicians.  They are not trained to independently practice nor are they trained as physicians are trained. yet they want to be able to provide any service, except for operative surgery (which is not defined), as physicians provide.  Under this bill, physician assistants will be able to provide more medical services than a medical resident who completed his or her first year of residency.  Eliminating the collaborative agreement will pose a risk to patient safety. 

While physician assistants are essential in a patient’s care and treatment, there is no substitute for having collaboration with a physician who has a far more training and education. Not only will it be confusing to patients who may not understand the differences, allowing PAs to practice independent of physicians will lead to increases in misdiagnoses and over-utilization of services.

Contact Your State Senator Today to Vote NO on Senate Bill 271!