The purpose of these rules is to create a system of licensing and regulating physician assistants as a means to ensure the competency of physician assistants without a financial burden to the people of Texas. Furthermore, the purpose of these rules and regulations is to also encourage the more effective utilization of the skills of physicians by enabling them to delegate health care tasks to qualified physician assistants. These sections are not intended to, and shall not be construed to, restrict the physician from delegating technical and clinical tasks to technicians, other assistants, or employees who perform delegated tasks in the office of a physician and who are not rendering services as a physician assistant or identifying themselves as a physician assistant. Nothing in these rules and regulations shall be construed to relieve the supervising physician of the professional or legal responsibility for the care and treatment of his or her patients.

Source Note:The provisions of this §185.1 adopted to be effective January 12, 1996, 21 TexReg 109.