Physician assistants can treat comp patients under new Oregon law

Oregon’s governor has signed into law a measure that permits physician assistants to treat injured employees in workers compensation claims.

Gov. Tina Kotek on Tuesday signed into law House Bill 3412, which authorizes physician assistants to provide the same level of services as nurse practitioners for workers comp patients in a managed care organization setting.

Qualifying physician assistants must be licensed by either the Oregon Medical Board or similar regulatory agencies in other states.

The law says that if a treating physician assistant is not a member of a managed care organization, they are still allowed to provide the same level of service as a primary care physician if the individual maintains the injured worker’s medical records and if he or she has a documented history of treating the worker.