09/29/2026

HB 963 Spotlight: Updating PA Sedation Authority

Ohio House Bill 963 seeks to align state law with modern PA education and practice, for the benefit of Ohio patients and healthcare teams alike.

This article is part of a series focusing on the 14 actions within HB 963 that modernize PA practice in Ohio.

Action:

Update PA authority as it relates to sedation in urgent or emergent situations.

Rationale:

By allowing properly trained and credentialed PAs to administer sedation in specific emergency and critical care settings, this legislation removes unnecessary barriers, improves efficiency, and strengthens the collaborative, team-based delivery of patient care, especially for PAs already managing critically ill patients.

In an emergency department or critical care unit, time is of the essence. A patient may need sedation to reduce a dislocated joint, tolerate a procedure, or stay safe and comfortable on a ventilator. The PA already at the bedside, managing that patient's care, is often the provider best positioned to act. Current Ohio law doesn't reflect that reality, creating unnecessary delays even when a PA is trained, credentialed, and experienced to administer and maintain sedation safely.

Ohio PA Mayur Patel, PA-C, sees this dynamic play out regularly, managing critically ill patients whose conditions can deteriorate rapidly and unexpectedly.

"Being able to order sedation for critical patients is vital for effective practice. The current limits on sedation create unnecessary delays in care, which directly impacts patient ventilation, procedural comfort, and overall stability. Additionally, these restrictions limit career opportunities for PAs in emergency and critical care settings where immediate sedation or paralytic ordering is required."

With nearly a decade of experience in critical care, Ohio PA Meghan Scheuer, MSPAS, PA-C, echoes this concern.

"In the ICU, seconds mater. As a critical care PA, the ability to rapidly assess, intubate, sedate, and resuscitate critically ill patients is fundamental to my role. It is important that we remove unnecessary barriers that could delay treatment, and instead, that we allow PAs to practice according to their education, training, and demonstrated competency."

Ohio PA Markus Creachbaum, MBA, PA-C, works in cardiothoracic surgery and CVICU, and he agrees.

"As a PA with more than seven years of experience caring for critically ill patients, including those requiring mechanical circulatory support, I have the education, training, and clinical experience to safely prescribe conscious sedation, but Ohio law prevents me from doing so. This outdated restriction does not reflect the competency of today’s PAs, the vital role we play in critical care, or the realities of modern, team-based medicine. Ohio patients deserve a healthcare system that removes unnecessary barriers and empowers qualified clinicians to practice to the full extent of their training. It’s time for Ohio law to catch up with the care we are competent to provide."

In these situations, every second matters.

Updating PA authority for sedation in urgent and emergent care doesn't change who is trained to do the work. It removes outdated barriers that can prevent that training from being put to use when patients need it most, strengthening the team already caring for them. Learn more about this and other aspects of House Bill 963, and how you can advocate for PA practice advancement, today.