58-70a-501.2. Scope of practice for a physician assistant specializing in mental health care.
| (1) |
Terms Used In Utah Code 58-70a-501.2- Board: means the Physician Assistant Licensing Board created in Section 58-70a-201. See Utah Code 58-70a-102
- Competence: means possessing the requisite cognitive, non-cognitive, and communicative abilities and qualities to perform effectively within the scope of practice of the physician assistant's practice while adhering to professional and ethical standards. See Utah Code 58-70a-102
- Health care facility: means the same as that term is defined in Section 26B-2-201. See Utah Code 58-70a-102
- Mental health therapist: means the same as that term is defined in Section 58-60-102. See Utah Code 58-70a-102
- Physician: means the same as that term is defined in Section 58-67-102. See Utah Code 58-70a-102
- Physician assistant: means an individual who is licensed to practice under this chapter. See Utah Code 58-70a-102
- Practice of mental health therapy: means the same as that term is defined in Section 58-60-102. See Utah Code 58-70a-102
- Probation: A sentencing alternative to imprisonment in which the court releases convicted defendants under supervision as long as certain conditions are observed.
- Process: means a writ or summons issued in the course of a judicial proceeding. See Utah Code 68-3-12.5
| (a) |
A physician assistant specializing in mental health care under Section 58-70a-501.1 may engage in the practice of mental health therapy consistent with the physician assistant’s education, experience, and competence. |
| (b) |
Section 58-70a-501 applies to a physician assistant specializing in mental health care in addition to this section. |
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| (2) |
A physician assistant specializing in mental health care is responsible for meeting the local standards of care in the provision of services, including mental health therapy and psychopharmacology. |
| (3) |
| (a) |
Except as provided in Subsection (3)(b), a physician assistant specializing in mental health care may administer a behavioral health screening instrument. |
| (b) |
A physician assistant specializing in mental health care may not perform a psychological or neuropsychological assessment or evaluation, including:
| (i) |
an intellectual assessment; |
| (ii) |
a forensic assessment or evaluation; and |
| (iii) |
administration of a psychological or neuropsychological test or instrument that requires qualification level B or qualification level C under the Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing approved as policy by the American Psychological Association. |
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| (4) |
| (a) |
A physician assistant may not administer neurostimulation or neuromodulation. |
| (b) |
Subsection (4)(a) does not apply to neurostimulation or neuromodulation administered by a physician assistant:
| (i) |
in a health care facility; and |
| (ii) |
under supervision of a physician whose usual scope of practice includes neurostimulation or neuromodulation. |
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| (5) |
As a condition of probation or reinstatement of a license, the division may require that, for a specified duration, a physician assistant specializing in mental health care collaborate with or practice under the supervision of a physician who is board certified in psychiatry. |
| (6) |
A physician assistant who is in the process of completing the clinical training requirement in Subsection 58-70a-501.1(1)(d), may engage in the practice of mental health therapy if the physician assistant:
| (b) |
engages in the practice of mental health therapy under the supervision of:
| (i) |
a mental health therapist who has been trained in and has at least two years of practice experience in psychotherapy; or |
| (ii) |
a physician who is board certified in psychiatry; and |
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| (c) |
engages in the practice of mental health therapy in accordance with rules made by the division regarding the supervision described in Subsection (6)(b). |
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Enacted by Chapter 313, 2021 General Session
