Illinois Code § 7

§ 7.

Collaboration requirements. (a) A collaborating physician shall determine the number of physician assistants to collaborate with, provided the physician is able to provide adequate collaboration as outlined in the written collaborative agreement required under Section 7.5 of this Act and consideration is given to the nature of the physician's practice, complexity of the patient population, and the experience of each physician assistant. A collaborating physician may collaborate with a maximum of 7 full-time equivalent physician assistants as described in Section 54.5 of the Medical Practice Act of 1987. As used in this Section, "full-time equivalent" means the equivalent of 40 hours per week per individual. Physicians and physician assistants who work in a hospital, hospital affiliate, federally qualified health center, or ambulatory surgical treatment center as defined by Section 7.7 of this Act are exempt from the collaborative ratio restriction requirements of this Section. A physician assistant shall be able to hold more than one professional position. A collaborating physician shall file a notice of collaboration of each physician assistant according to the rules of the Department. Physician assistants shall collaborate only with physicians as defined in this Act who are engaged in clinical practice, or in clinical practice in public health or other community health facilities. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to limit the delegation of tasks or duties by a physician to a nurse or other appropriately trained personnel. Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit the employment of physician assistants by a hospital, nursing home or other health care facility where such physician assistants function under a collaborating physician. A physician assistant may be employed by a practice group or other entity employing multiple physicians at one or more locations. In that case, one of the physicians practicing at a location shall be designated the collaborating physician. The other physicians with that practice group or other entity who practice in the same general type of practice or specialty as the collaborating physician may collaborate with the physician assistant with respect to their patients. (b) A physician assistant licensed in this State, or licensed or authorized to practice in any other U.S. jurisdiction or credentialed by his or her federal employer as a physician assistant, who is responding to a need for medical care created by an emergency or by a state or local disaster may render such care that the physician assistant is able to provide without collaboration as it is defined in this Section or with such collaboration as is available. Any physician who collaborates with a physician assistant providing medical care in response to such an emergency or state or local disaster shall not be required to meet the requirements set forth in this Section for a collaborating physician. (Source: P.A. 103-65, eff. 1-1-24.)