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2004 SESSION
SB 555 Death; pronouncement by physician assistants.
Introduced by: L. Louise Lucas | all patrons ... notes | add to my profiles
SUMMARY AS PASSED SENATE: (all summaries)
Pronouncements of death under certain circumstances by physician assistants. Authorizes a physician assistant practicing under the supervision of a physician to pronounce death under the following circumstances: (i) the physician assistant works at (a) a home health organization, or (b) a hospice, or (c) a hospital or nursing home, including state-operated hospitals, or (d) the Department of Corrections; (ii) the physician assistant is directly involved in the care of the patient; (iii) the patient's death has occurred; (iv) the patient is under the care of a physician when his death occurs; (v) the patient's death has been anticipated; (vi) the physician is unable to be present within a reasonable period of time to determine death; and (vii) there is a valid Do Not Resuscitate Order pursuant to § 54.1-2987.1 for the patient who has died. The physician assistant must inform the patient's attending and consulting physicians of his death as soon as practicable and must inform the chief medical examiner of unexpected deaths. The physician assistant will not make a determination of the cause of death, i.e., physicians will continue to have this responsibility. The Board of Medicine's procedures, if any, will apply to these pronouncements of death, and the physician assistant is not relieved of any liability from failure to comply with the Board's regulations. This bill provides limited authority to pronounce death to physician assistants identical to the authority registered nurses have already been granted.
FULL TEXT
- 01/14/04 Senate: Presented & ordered printed, prefiled 01/14/04 046517752 pdf
- 03/04/04 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB555ER) pdf | impact statement
- 03/12/04 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0092) pdf
- 03/17/04 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text reprinted (CHAP0092) pdf
HISTORY
- 01/14/04 Senate: Presented & ordered printed, prefiled 01/14/04 046517752
- 01/14/04 Senate: Referred to Committee on Education and Health
- 01/22/04 Senate: Reported from Education and Health (15-Y 0-N)
- 01/23/04 Senate: Constitutional reading dispensed (39-Y 0-N)
- 01/23/04 Senate: VOTE: CONST. RDG. DISPENSED R (39-Y 0-N)
- 01/26/04 Senate: Read second time and engrossed
- 01/27/04 Senate: Read third time and passed Senate (39-Y 0-N)
- 01/27/04 Senate: VOTE: (39-Y 0-N)
- 01/27/04 Senate: Communicated to House
- 01/30/04 House: Placed on Calendar
- 01/30/04 House: Read first time
- 01/30/04 House: Referred to Committee on Health, Welfare and Institutions
- 02/19/04 House: Reported from H. W. I. (21-Y 0-N)
- 02/20/04 House: Read second time
- 02/23/04 House: Read third time
- 02/23/04 House: Passed House BLOCK VOTE (100-Y 0-N)
- 02/23/04 House: VOTE: BLOCK VOTE PASSAGE (100-Y 0-N)
- 03/04/04 Senate: Bill text as passed Senate and House (SB555ER)
- 03/04/04 Senate: Enrolled
- 03/04/04 House: Signed by Speaker
- 03/05/04 Senate: Signed by President
- 03/12/04 Governor: Approved by Governor-Chapter 92 (effective 7/1/04)
- 03/12/04 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text (CHAP0092)
- 03/17/04 Governor: Acts of Assembly Chapter text reprinted (CHAP0092)