225 ILCS 95/7.7

(225 ILCS 95/7.7)

(Section scheduled to be repealed on January 1, 2028)

Sec. 7.7. Physician assistants in hospitals, hospital affiliates, federally qualified health centers, or ambulatory surgical treatment centers.

(a) A physician assistant may provide services in a hospital as defined in the Hospital Licensing Act, a hospital affiliate as defined in the University of Illinois Hospital Act, a federally qualified health center, or a licensed ambulatory surgical treatment center as defined in the Ambulatory Surgical Treatment Center Act without a written collaborative agreement pursuant to Section 7.5 of this Act only in accordance with this Section. A physician assistant must possess clinical privileges recommended by (i) the hospital medical staff and granted by the hospital, (ii) the physician committee and federally qualified health center, or (iii) the consulting medical staff committee and ambulatory surgical treatment center in order to provide services. The medical staff, physician committee, or consulting medical staff committee shall periodically review the services of physician assistants granted clinical privileges, including any care provided in a hospital affiliate or federally qualified health center. Authority may also be granted when recommended by the hospital medical staff and granted by the hospital, recommended by the physician committee and granted by the federally qualified health center, or recommended by the consulting medical staff committee and ambulatory surgical treatment center to individual physician assistants to select, order, and administer medications, including controlled substances, to provide delineated care. In a hospital, hospital affiliate, federally qualified health center, or ambulatory surgical treatment center, the attending physician shall determine a physician assistant's role in providing care for his or her patients, except as otherwise provided in the medical staff bylaws or consulting committee policies.

(a-5) Physician assistants practicing in a hospital affiliate or a federally qualified health center may be, but are not required to be, granted authority to prescribe Schedule II through V controlled substances when such authority is recommended by the appropriate physician committee of the hospital affiliate and granted by the hospital affiliate or recommended by the physician committee of the federally qualified health center and granted by the federally qualified health center. This authority may, but is not required to, include prescription of, selection of, orders for, administration of, storage of, acceptance of samples of, and dispensing over-the-counter medications, legend drugs, medical gases, and controlled substances categorized as Schedule II through V controlled substances, as defined in Article II of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act, and other preparations, including, but not limited to, botanical and herbal remedies.

To prescribe controlled substances under this subsection (a-5), a physician assistant must obtain a mid-level practitioner controlled substance license. Medication orders shall be reviewed periodically by the appropriate hospital affiliate physicians committee or its physician designee or by the physician committee of a federally qualified health center.

The hospital affiliate or federally qualified health center shall file with the Department notice of a grant of prescriptive authority consistent with this subsection (a-5) and termination of such a grant of authority in accordance with rules of the Department. Upon receipt of this notice of grant of authority to prescribe any Schedule II through V controlled substances, the licensed physician assistant may register for a mid-level practitioner controlled substance license under Section 303.05 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.

In addition, a hospital affiliate or a federally qualified health center may, but is not required to, grant authority to a physician assistant to prescribe any Schedule II controlled substances if all of the following conditions apply:

(1) specific Schedule II controlled substances by oral dosage or topical or transdermal application may be designated, provided that the designated Schedule II controlled substances are routinely prescribed by physician assistants in their area of certification; this grant of authority must identify the specific Schedule II controlled substances by either brand name or generic name; authority to prescribe or dispense Schedule II controlled substances to be delivered by injection or other route of administration may not be granted;

(2) any grant of authority must be controlled substances limited to the practice of the physician assistant;

(3) any prescription must be limited to no more than a 30-day supply;

(4) the physician assistant must discuss the condition of any patients for whom a controlled substance is prescribed monthly with the appropriate physician committee of the hospital affiliate or its physician designee, or the physician committee of a federally qualified health center; and

(5) the physician assistant must meet the education requirements of Section 303.05 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.

(b) A physician assistant granted authority to order medications including controlled substances may complete discharge prescriptions provided the prescription is in the name of the physician assistant and the attending or discharging physician.

(c) Physician assistants practicing in a hospital, hospital affiliate, federally qualified health center, or an ambulatory surgical treatment center are not required to obtain a mid-level controlled substance license to order controlled substances under Section 303.05 of the Illinois Controlled Substances Act.

(Source: P.A. 103-65, eff. 1-1-24.)