South Carolina H 3579: Physician assistants

Bill Text

2025-2026 Bill 3579 Text of Previous Version (Dec. 12, 2024) - South Carolina Legislature Online 

South Carolina General Assembly
126th Session, 2025-2026

Bill 3579

Indicates Matter Stricken
Indicates New Matter

(Text matches printed bills. Document has been reformatted to meet World Wide Web specifications.)

A bill

TO AMEND THE SOUTH CAROLINA CODE OF LAWS BY ADDING SECTION 
40-47-937 SO AS TO PROVIDE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS WHO MEET CERTAIN POSTGRADUATE 
CLINICAL EXPERIENCE AND PRACTICE EXPERIENCE MAY PRACTICE PURSUANT ONLY TO AN ATTESTATION 
STATEMENT, AND TO PROVIDE FOR THE FUNCTIONS, LOCATIONS, AND COLLABORATION 
REQUIREMENTS ALLOWED UNDER THESE PRACTICE ARRANGEMENTS; BY ADDING SECTION 
40-47-939 SO AS TO PROVIDE THAT CERTAIN PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS LICENSED IN OTHER 
JURISDICTIONS MAY PROVIDE EMERGENCY CARE IN THIS STATE UNDER CERTAIN 
CIRCUMSTANCES, AND TO LIMIT THEIR LIABILITY FOR PROVIDING SUCH CARE; BY 
AMENDING SECTION 40-47-10, RELATING TO THE STATE BOARD OF MEDICAL EXAMINERS, SO 
AS TO REVISE THE COMPOSITION OF THE BOARD TO INCLUDE TWO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, 
TO PROVIDE FOR THEIR MANNER OF APPOINTMENT AND THE FILLING OF VACANCIES, AND TO 
LIMIT THEIR TERMS OF SERVICE; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-20, RELATING TO 
DEFINITIONS CONCERNING THE MEDICAL PRACTICE ACT, SO AS TO REVISE VARIOUS DEFINITIONS; 
BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-113, RELATING TO REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING 
PHYSICIAN-PATIENT RELATIONSHIPS AND THE PRESCRIBING OF DRUGS, SO AS TO MAKE 
CONFORMING CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-195, RELATING TO SUPERVISING 
PHYSICIANS AND SCOPE OF PRACTICE GUIDELINES, SO AS TO REMOVE CERTAIN 
LIMITATIONS IMPOSED ON SUPERVISING PHYSICIANS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-196, 
RELATING TO THE DELEGATION OF TASKS TO CERTIFIED MEDICAL ASSISTANTS, SO AS TO 
MAKE TECHNICAL CHANGES; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-910, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS 
IN THE SOUTH CAROLINA PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS PRACTICE ACT, SO AS TO REVISE 
NECESSARY DEFINITIONS; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-915, RELATING TO THE 
APPLICATION OF THE SOUTH CAROLINA PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS PRACTICE ACT, SO AS TO 
REVISE REQUIREMENTS CONCERNING PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS STUDENTS; BY AMENDING 
SECTION 40-47-935, RELATING TO ACTS AND DUTIES AUTHORIZED TO BE PERFORMED BY 
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, SO AS TO CLARIFY AND EXPAND THE AUTHORIZED ACTS AND 
DUTIES; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-965, RELATING TO REQUIREMENTS FOR WRITING 
PRESCRIPTIONS FOR DRUGS, CONTROLLED SUBSTANCES, AND MEDICAL DEVICES BY 
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, SO AS TO REVISE THE REQUIREMENTS; BY AMENDING SECTION 
40-47-1000, RELATING TO THE UNLAWFUL HOLDING OF ONESELF OUT AS A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT, 
SO AS TO PROVIDE FOR THE LAWFUL AND UNLAWFUL USE OF CERTAIN ABBREVIATIONS 
INDICATIVE OF LICENSURE AS A PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT; BY AMENDING SECTION 
40-47-1005, RELATING TO MISCONDUCT MANDATING REVOCATION OR DENIAL OF A 
PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT LICENSE, SO AS TO SPECIFICALLY AUTHORIZE THE BOARD TO 
DISCIPLINE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS FOR MISCONDUCT, TO REVISE THE BASES FOR 
MISCONDUCT, AND TO PROVIDE REMEDIES AVAILABLE TO THE BOARD UPON FINDING 
MISCONDUCT; BY AMENDING SECTION 40-47-1020, RELATING TO THIRD-PARTY REIMBURSEMENT 
TO PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS, SO AS TO MAKE SUCH PAYMENTS MANDATORY IN CERTAIN 
CIRCUMSTANCES, AND TO PROVIDE INSURANCE COMPANIES AND THIRD-PARTY PAYERS MAY 
NOT IMPOSE MORE RESTRICTIVE OR CONTRADICTORY PRACTICE, EDUCATION, OR 
COLLABORATION REQUIREMENTS; BY AMENDING SECTION 44-80-120, RELATING TO THE 
AUTHORITY OF PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS TO CREATE, EXECUTE, AND SIGN POST FORMS, SO 
AS TO REMOVE OBSOLETE SCOPE OF PRACTICE AND SUPERVISING PHYSICIAN REQUIREMENTS; 
BY AMENDING SECTION 44-99-10, RELATING TO DEFINITIONS CONCERNING EMERGENCY 
ANAPHYLAXIS TREATMENTS, SO AS TO REMOVE OBSOLETE LANGUAGE; BY AMENDING SECTION 
59-63-75, RELATING TO CONCUSSION PROTOCOL FOR STUDENT ATHLETES, SO AS TO 
INCLUDE PHYSICIAN ASSISTANTS AMONG PERSONS AUTHORIZED TO REMOVE STUDENT ATHLETES 
SUSPECTED OF HAVING SUSTAINED A CONCUSSION FROM COMPETITION, AND TO REMOVE 
OBSOLETE LANGUAGE; AND BY AMENDING SECTION 59-63-95, RELATING TO THE 
PRESCRIPTION OF LIFESAVING MEDICATIONS TO BE MAINTAINED AND USED BY PUBLIC 
SCHOOLS, SO AS TO MAKE CONFORMING CHANGES.

Be it enacted by the 
General Assembly of the State of South Carolina:

SECTION 1. Article 7, Chapter 47, Title 40 of the S.C. Code is 
amended by adding:

 Section 
40-47-937. (A) Notwithstanding another provision 
of this article, a PA may practice pursuant only to an attestation statement if 
he:

 (1) 
possesses more than two thousand hours of postgraduate clinical practice 
experience as a licensed PA;

 (2) 
possesses more than two thousand hours of postgraduate clinical experience as a 
licensed PA and more than one thousand hours of practice experience gained 
after transitioning to a new medical specialty of practice with a supervising 
physician in that specialty.

 (B) A 
PA practicing pursuant to an attestation statement may perform medical and 
surgical acts, tasks, or services for which the PA