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Committee hears testimony supporting H 573 to allow physician assistants to perform emergency mental‑health evaluations
Summary
Witnesses told a legislative committee that H 573 would let trained physician assistants perform emergency evaluations (EEs) in emergency departments, aligning statutory practice with staffing realities and reducing delays for patients; the committee asked staff to clarify draft language before returning the bill for further consideration.
At a committee meeting, legislators heard testimony supporting H 573, a proposal to allow physician assistants (PAs) to complete emergency evaluations (EEs) for mental‑health admissions in hospital emergency departments. Liz Fudo, director of emergency services at Copley Hospital and a director for the Emergency Nurse Association, said the measure would reduce delays at facilities that rely on PAs for overnight coverage.
Fudo said the EE process can begin either when a patient presents voluntarily or when a qualified mental‑health professional seeks a warrant for transport; currently, physicians or nurse practitioners usually complete the first certification required by statute. "H 573 is... having a physician assistant as one of the people who is…
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