Mississippi HB 1481: Anesthesiologist assistants; allow licensure under physicians assistant licensure law.

Bill Text

H. B. No. 1481 *HR26/R1946* ~ OFFICIAL ~ G1/2
26/HR26/R1946
PAGE 1 (RF\KW)

To: Public Health and Human
Services
MISSISSIPPI LEGISLATURE REGULAR SESSION 2026

By: Representative Mansell

HOUSE BILL NO. 1481

AN ACT TO AMEND SECTION 73-26-1, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 1
DELETE THE PROHIBITION ON LICENSING ANESTHESIOLOGIST ASSISTANTS 2
UNDER THE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT LICENSURE LAW; TO AMEND SECTION 3
73-26-3, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO PROVIDE THAT APPLICANTS FOR 4
LICENSURE AS A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT WHO HAVE PASSED THE 5
CERTIFICATION EXAMINATION ADMINISTERED BY THE NATIONAL COMMISSION 6
FOR CERTIFICATION OF ANESTHESIOLOGIST ASSISTANTS (NCCAA) AND MET 7
OTHER REQUIREMENTS ARE ELIGIBLE FOR LICENSURE AS A PHYSICIAN 8
ASSISTANT; TO AMEND SECTION 73-26-5, MISSISSIPPI CODE OF 1972, TO 9
DELETE THE PROHIBITION ON THE STATE BOARD OF MEDICAL LICENSURE 10
FROM AUTHORIZING PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS TO ADMINISTER OR MONITOR 11
GENERAL INHALED ANESTHESIA, EPIDURAL ANESTHESIA, SPINAL ANESTHESIA 12
OR MONITORED ANESTHESIA AS UTILIZED IN SURGICAL PROCEDURES; AND 13
FOR RELATED PURPOSES. 14
BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF MISSISSIPPI: 15
SECTION 1. Section 73-26-1, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 16
amended as follows: 17
73-26-1. As used in this chapter: 18
(a) "Board" means the State Board of Medical Licensure. 19
(b) "Physician assistant" means a person who meets the 20
board's criteria for licensure as a physician assistant and is 21
licensed as a physician assistant by the board. * * * 22
(c) "Supervising physician" means a doctor of medicine 23
or a doctor of osteopathic medicine who holds an unrestricted 24

H. B. No. 1481 *HR26/R1946* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1946
PAGE 2 (RF\KW)

license from the board, and who is in the full-time practice of 25
medicine and who has been approved by the board to supervise 26
physician assistants. 27
(d) "Supervision" means overseeing and accepting 28
responsibility for the medical services rendered by a physician 29
assistant in a manner approved by the board. 30
SECTION 2. Section 73-26-3, Mississippi Code of 1972, is 31
amended as follows: 32
73-26-3. (1) The State Board of Medical Licensure shall 33
license and regulate the practice of physician assistants in 34
accordance with the provisions of this chapter. 35
(2) All physician assistants who are employed as physician 36
assistants by a Department of Veterans Affairs health care 37
facility, a branch of the United States military or the Federal 38
Bureau of Prisons, and who are practicing as physician assistants 39
in a federal facility in Mississippi on July 1, 2000, and those 40
physician assistants who trained in a Mississippi physician 41
assistant program and have been continuously practicing as a 42
physician assistant in Mississippi since 1976, shall be eligible 43
for licensure if they submit an application for licensure to the 44
board by December 31, 2000. Physician assistants licensed under 45
this subsection will be eligible for license renewal so long as 46
they meet standard renewal requirements. 47
(3) Before December 31, 2004, applicants for physician 48
assistant licensure, except those licensed under subsection (2) of 49

H. B. No. 1481 *HR26/R1946* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1946
PAGE 3 (RF\KW)

this section, must be graduates of physician assistant educational 50
programs accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of Allied 51
Health Educational Programs or its predecessor or successor 52
agency, have passed the certification examination administered by 53
the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants 54
(NCCPA) or by the National Commission for certification of 55
Anesthesiologist Assistants (NCCAA), have current NCCPA or NCCAA 56
certification, and possess a minimum of a baccalaureate degree. 57
Physician assistants meeting these licensure requirements will be 58
eligible for license renewal so long as they meet standard renewal 59
requirements. 60
(4) On or after December 31, 2004, applicants for physician 61
assistant licensure must meet all of the requirements in 62
subsection (3) of this section and, in addition, must have 63
obtained a minimum of a master's degree in a health-related or 64
science field. 65
(5) Applicants for licensure who meet all licensure 66
requirements except for the master's degree may be granted a 67
temporary license by the board so long as they can show proof of 68
enrollment in a master's program that will, when completed, meet 69
the master's degree requirement. The temporary license will be 70
valid for no longer than one (1) year, and may not be renewed. 71
(6) For new graduate physician assistants and all physician 72
assistants receiving initial licenses in the state, except those 73
licensed under subsection (2) of this section, supervision shall 74

H. B. No. 1481 *HR26/R1946* ~ OFFICIAL ~
26/HR26/R1946
PAGE 4 (RF\KW)

require the on-site presence of a supervising physician for one 75
hundred twenty (120) days. 76
(7) To qualify for a Mississip