PHYSICIAN DELEGATION OF ANESTHESIA ADMINISTRATION
House Bill 4591
Sponsor: Rep. Doug Hart
Committee: Health Policy
Complete to 4-19-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4591 AS INTRODUCED 4-17-01
Currently, the Public Health Code allows health professionals who hold licenses other than a health profession subfield license (such as a physician's assistant's license) to delegate certain acts, tasks, and functions to licensed or unlicensed individuals to perform if the acts, tasks, or functions fall within the delegating professional's scope of practice and will be performed under the licensee's supervision. The health code further allows licensed physicians (MDs or DOs) to delegate certain surgical functions to licensed health professionals and to certain unlicensed individuals, namely, students in medical or osteopathic school or in a physician's assistant training program, individuals performing acupuncture, and individuals removing certain cadaver parts for medical or scientific purposes.
The bill would amend the health code to specify that only licensed physicians could delegate an act, task, or function that involved the administration of "surgical anesthesia", and only under one of two conditions:
· The delegating physician had anesthesia privileges at the health facility at which the surgery were being performed and was physically available in the health facility during the time the surgery was being performed; or
· At the time the surgery was performed, the delegating physician was performing the surgery.
The bill would define "surgical anesthesia" to mean "general anesthesia" that entailed drug-induced loss of consciousness and impairment of ventilatory reflexes, or major conductive regional anesthesia if administered for the purpose of facilitating surgery. The bill also would define "general anesthesia" to mean "the elimination of all sensation accompanied by a state of unconsciousness and loss of reflexes necessary to maintain a patient ['s] airway," and "surgery" to mean "a procedure that require[d] the use of surgical instrumentation."
MCL 333.16215
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.