11/13/2026

HB 963 Spotlight: Removing Outdated Language on Physician Liability, Direction, and Control of PAs

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:

Remove language regarding physician liability, direction, and control of PAs and “physician-delegated” prescriptive authority.

Rationale:

Outdated terms misrepresent PA practice and create unnecessary barriers to employment. PAs are responsible for their own actions and are authorized to prescribe as a function of their state license. Aligning with modern team-based practice improves access and reduces confusion without creating immunity for physicians.

Words in law shape how a profession is understood, and how it is hired. Ohio’s PA statutes still describe PAs in terms of physician liability, direction, and control, and still treat prescribing as something “delegated” by a physician. That is not how PA practice works today. PAs are licensed clinicians who answer for their own decisions and prescribe under their own state license, as part of a healthcare team.

When the law suggests that a PA’s work is directed and controlled by someone else, employers can hesitate to hire, practices can face added complexity, and patients and colleagues can come away with the wrong idea of who is making clinical decisions.

Ohio PA Jennifer Richardson, PA-C, describes the issue in this way:

"The traditional language of “control and direction” no longer accurately reflects the realities of contemporary PA practice. PAs practice within established scopes of practice and maintain written agreements outlining their collaborative relationships with supervising physicians. However, this does not mean physicians are continuously overseeing each patient encounter or independently reviewing every clinical decision. Established quality assurance and accountability processes ensure safe, high-quality patient care while recognizing PAs as educated, trained, licensed, and qualified healthcare professionals. Modern PA practice is grounded in collaboration, professional accountability, and clinical competence, not constant physician control or direction.”

Ohio PA Scott Naples, PA, MBA, adds:

"Updating this language isn’t just good for PAs. Physicians who work with PAs don’t actually direct and control every clinical decision we make, so the law shouldn’t suggest they do. And for employers, outdated wording can make hiring and credentialing more complicated than it needs to be. Clear language that reflects how PAs actually practice, as licensed clinicians who answer for their own decisions as part of a team and in collaboration with physicians, makes it easier for physicians and employers to build the teams their patients need.”

Removing and rephrasing this language updates the law to say what is already true: PAs are responsible for their own actions, authorized to prescribe through their state license, and work within a collaborative team with physicians to provide the best care for patients.

Learn more about this and other aspects of House Bill 963, and how you can advocate for PA practice advancement, today.