Montana Governor Signs Law Removing Supervision Requirement

Bill Championed Through Legislature by Rep. Jodee Etchart, PA

April 20, 2023

More good news from the West — Montana Governor Greg Gianforte has signed HB 313 into law.  Enacted upon being signed on April 18, the new law allows PAs with fewer than 8,000 practice hours to practice in collaboration with a physician or a PA with 8,000 or more practice hours.

PAs with 8,000 practice hours are exempt from the collaboration agreement requirement but will continue to work in collaboration with all members of the healthcare team and consult or refer with other providers as appropriate.

This legislation was introduced and shepherded through the state legislature by Rep. Jodee Etchart, PA.

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AAPA joins the Montana Academy of Physician Assistants (MTAPA) in thanking the legislature and Gov. Gianforte for their efforts to improve patient care by empowering PAs to practice to the full extent of their education, training, and experience. PAs can send an email of thanks to the governor and legislators via MTAPA’s legislative action center.

“MTAPA extends our gratitude to Rep. Etchart for leading the charge to modernize Montana’s PA practice laws on behalf of the profession and the patients we serve,” MTAPA President Megan Zawacki, PA-C, said. “The removal of unnecessary administrative burdens is a commonsense change that will allow PAs the flexibility to serve their patients better and increase access.”

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, all of Montana’s counties are designated as medically underserved in some way.

“As advocates for patients, PAs know that modernized PA practice laws are essential to addressing many challenges healthcare teams across the country are facing due to reduced staff and growing patient needs,” AAPA President Jennifer M. Orozco, DMSc, PA-C, said. “It’s exciting and encouraging to see a state like Montana, with its unique healthcare provider access needs, recognize that fully maximizing the expertise of its PA workforce is a necessary step toward making healthcare teams more efficient and ensuring patients can receive timely, high-quality care.”

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