Delaware Code Title 24. Professions and Occupations § 1771. Physician's role in collaborating with a physician assistant

(a) A physician who collaborates with a physician assistant must be available for consultation with the physician assistant.  It is the obligation of each team of physician(s) and physician assistant(s) to ensure that the physician assistant's scope of practice is identified, and is appropriate to the physician assistant's level of education, training, and experience, that the relationship of, and access to, the collaborating physician is defined, and that a process for evaluation of the physician assistant's performance is established.

(b) Each physician-physician assistant team, hospital, clinic, medical group, or other healthcare facility shall be responsible for creating a written collaborative agreement, which shall be kept on file at the primary location where the physician assistant provides care, describing the information required by subsection (a) of this section.  The written collaborative agreement shall be made available to the Board or the Council upon request.

(c) Repealed by 83 Laws 2021, ch. 16, § 2.

(d) A collaborating physician may not be involved in patient care in name only and must be involved in active patient care on a regular basis.

(e) A collaborating physician may not assign medical acts to a physician assistant that exceed the physician's license.

(f) A collaborating physician may not at any given time collaborate with more than 4 physician assistants, unless a regulation of the Board increases or decreases the number.  This limit does not apply to physicians and physician assistants who practice in the same physical office or facility building, such as an emergency department so long as there is active, physician coverage.

(g) A physician who collaborates with a physician assistant in violation of the provisions of this subchapter or of regulations adopted pursuant to this subchapter is subject to disciplinary action by the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline for permitting the unauthorized practice of medicine.

(h) Hospitals, clinics, medical groups and other healthcare facilities may employ physician assistants subject to subsection (f) of this section.

(i) If the collaborating physician is not routinely present the physician must assure that the means and methods of collaboration are adequate to assure appropriate patient care.  This may include telecommunication, chart review, or other methods of communication and oversight that are appropriate to the care setting and the education, training and experience of the physician assistant.