SB 2548

Present law provides for the employment of certified medical assistants, which are personnel with training to function in an assistive role to a licensed physician or licensed nurse in the provision of patient care activities in a facility used as an ambu latory outpatient hospital clinic as delegated by the physician or licensed nurse. This bill adds authorization for a physician assistant to delegate tasks to a certified medical assistant in accordance with the rules adopted by the board of physician assistants and as long as the physician assistant is in collaboration with a licensed physician. A physician assistant shall not delegate any patient care activity that requires the exercise of physician assistant's judgment in assessing, planning, or altering care based on the needs of the individual patient. Under present law, one of the requirements for employment as a certified medical assistant within an ambulatory outpatient hospital clinic is that the person is certified by one of five listed organizations. This bill clarifies that the person may be ce rtified or registered by one of the five recognized certifying organizations. Present law requires that an ambulatory outpatient hospital clinic is responsible for training and verifying competence of certified medical assistants. This bill adds that such responsibility includes ensuring additional training and validation to admi nister medications, if necessary. Present law lists 11 categories of medications that a certified medical assistant may administer or prepare pursuant to an order from an authorized healthcare provider. This bill limits the dosages that a certified medical assistant may administer to: (1) A single dose, appropriately labelled, ready-to-administer packaging; or (2) A multi-dose, appropriately labelled packaging for which a specific dose is ordered and a dose calculation is not required by the certified medical assistant. This bill revises the list of categories of medications that a certified medical assistant may administer to include: (1) Intramuscular, intradermal, or subcutaneous medications; (2) Vaccines; (3) Oral, sublingual, and buccal medications; (4) Topical medications; (5) Irrigants; (6) Optic medications, excluding injectables; (7) Metered hand-held inhalants; (8) Unit dose nebulizers; (9) Octic medications, excluding injectables; (10) Nasal medications, excluding injectables; (11) Rectal medications; (12) Medications prepared by the certified medical assistant for administration by the provider; (13) Urethral, transurethral, or intravesicular medications; (14) Vaginal medications, excluding injectables; and (15) Certain anesthetic agents as listed in the full text of this bill. ON MARCH 16, 2026, THE HOUSE ADOPTED AMENDMENT #1 AND PASSED HOUSE BILL 2044, AS AMENDED. AMENDMENT #1 provides that medical assistants are authorized to administer or prepare topical ophthalmic medications, instead of optic medications, excluding injectables.