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Senate Public Health concurs to let physician assistants serve as treating physicians in workers' compensation cases
Summary
The Senate Public Health Committee concurred on House Bill 143, which would make physician assistants eligible to be designated "treating physicians" under Montana's workers' compensation rules, supporters said the change would speed care in rural areas.
Representative Jody Echart, sponsor for House Bill 143, told the Senate Public Health Committee that the bill is a ‘‘simple cleanup’’ to align workers' compensation language with physician assistant independent-practice changes enacted in 2023.
The bill would revise the definition of "treating physician" in the Workers' Compensation Act so physician assistants (PAs) can be named treating physicians regardless of whether other licensed providers are present in the same community. Supporters said PAs already perform much of this care in practice and that the change would shorten delays in obtaining treatment for injured…
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