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Alaska2026Passed Legislature

SB89

Changes to Physician Assistant Rules in Alaska

Last scannedSep 20, 2026, 12:32 AM

In one sentence

This law updates what physician assistants can do, changes how they work with doctors, and adds a physician assistant member to the State Medical Board.

What it does

  • Adds one licensed physician assistant as a voting member of the State Medical Board.
  • Lists specific medical tasks that qualified physician assistants may perform, including diagnosing patients, ordering tests, performing limited sonography, and pronouncing death.
  • Allows physician assistants to prescribe schedule II through V controlled substances under federal law and all federal legend drugs.
  • Requires most physician assistants to have a written collaborative agreement with a doctor, but allows exceptions for those working in hospitals, government facilities, or federally qualified health centers.
  • Sets education requirements including graduation from an accredited program and passing the national certifying examination.

Who it affects

  • Physician assistants practicing in Alaska
  • Doctors who work with physician assistants
  • The State Medical Board of Alaska
  • Health care facilities such as hospitals, clinics, government-run centers, and federally qualified health centers

Limits and unknowns

  • The provided text cuts off before finishing the section about temporary permits, so some details are missing.
  • The law does not list specific rules for how often doctors must check on physician assistants in a collaborative agreement beyond requiring the plan to describe collaboration.

Plain language

Terms to know

Collaborative agreement
A written plan that describes how a physician assistant and a doctor will work together.
Controlled substances
Drugs regulated by the government because they can be addictive or misused, such as painkillers in schedules II through V.
Professional sample
A free unit of a prescription drug given to a physician assistant at no cost to promote its use with patients.

Official record

Sources

Validated
Official bill pageIntroduced textCurrent bill text

Official summary

PHYSICIAN ASSISTANT SCOPE OF PRACTICE An Act relating to physician assistants; relating to collaborative agreements between physicians and physician assistants; relating to the practice of medicine; relating to health care providers; and relating to provisions regarding physician assistants in contracts between certain health care providers and health care insurers.

Official activity

Bill history

  1. (S) EFFECTIVE DATE(S) OF LAW 9/16/263024
  2. (S) LAW W/O GOV SIGNATURE 6/18 CH 21 SLA 263024
  3. (S) 10:14 A.M. 6/1/26 TRANSMITTED TO GOVERNOR2959
  4. (S) MANIFEST ERROR(S)2959
  5. (S) CONCUR AM OF (H) Y18 N- E1 A12535
  6. (S) CONCUR MESSAGE READ AND TAKEN UP2534
  7. (H) VERSION: HCS CSSB 89(HSS)2446
  8. (H) TRANSMITTED TO (S) AS AMENDED2446
  9. (H) PASSED Y38 N22442
  10. (H) READ THE THIRD TIME HCS CSSB 89(HSS)2442
  11. (H) ADVANCED TO THIRD READING UC2442
  12. (H) HSS HCS ADOPTED UC2442
  13. (H) READ THE SECOND TIME2441
  14. (H) HELD TO 5/7 CALENDAR2421
  15. (H) RULES TO CALENDAR 5/6/20262421
  16. (H) FN4: ZERO(CED)2053
  17. (H) DP: FRIER, CARRICK, FIELDS, HALL2053
  18. (H) L&C RPT HCS(HSS) 4DP2053
  19. (H) Moved HCS CSSB 89(HSS) Out of CommitteeText
  20. (H) LABOR & COMMERCE at 03:15 PM BARNES 124Text