BY Molly Matthews
Contributing Writer, Delta Business Journal

  A bill that would allow physicians assistants to be state-licensed would also provide much needed options in the medical community and open a new career opportunity in the healthcare profession.
  House Bill 846 has passed the House and awaits action of the Senate Public Health and Welfare Committee that would give the Mississippi State Board of Medical Licensure the authority to license and regulate the practice of physicians assistants.
The minimum requirement necessary for licensure and the adoption of regulations for the practice of physician assistants is included in the legislation. The act also defines minimum representation of nurse practitioners and physician assistants on any state-appointed task force or committee.
  "At the present time, I cannot foresee physicians assistants having any direct impact on home health since neither nurse practitioners nor physicians assistants can give orders for a plan of treatment for a home health patient," said Joan Hamilton, regional administrator for the Delta region of  Jackson-based Sta Home Health Agency. "As far as the impact on the Delta, I am sure that there may be some physicians and clinics in the Delta area that may utilize this role in the provision of services."
Mississippi is the only state that doesn't license physicians assistants, defined as healthcare professionals that provide physician supervised medical services, such as physical exams, diagnose and treat illnesses, order and interpret tests, counsel for preventative healthcare and assist in surgery. About 40 physicians assistants practice in Mississippi, but are limited to practicing only on military bases or at Veteran Affairs medical centers. Under the proposed bill, physicians assistants would be required to obtain master's degrees, a requirement already necessary for nurse practitioners.
  More than 600 nurse practitioners, licensed by the Mississippi Board of Nursing, work collaboratively with physicians and perform similar duties with the added authority of writing prescriptions for non-controlled substances.