If Physician Assistants (PAs) — a type of advance  practice professional — are part of your practice, then  you need to know that the rules and regulations for  the supervision of PA’s were recently changed. Senate  Bill No. 697, Physician Assistants: Practice Agreements:  Supervision, was signed on October 9, 2019 and took  effect on January 1, 2020.

Physicians may be forgiven for a feeling of whiplash after emerging from an era of pain-medication permissiveness to today’s opioid vigilance. Nevertheless, practitioners must always be alert to the warning signs of a patient who is abusing the trust of the physician- patient relationship.

In reinstating a lawsuit brought by a group of therapists and counselors, the California Supreme Court cleared the way for a show of evidence over which approach best serves the goal of curtailing the demand for online child pornography: The opportunity to effectively treat patients who possess and view such material, or mandatory disclosure to law enforcement authorities when a patient tells a therapist of such behavior.

CAP’s Public Affairs team sees an opportunity to give our members even more detailed information on legislative, regulatory, ballot, and political activities in California and on the federal level than can be handled in the monthly CAPsules public policy column. By becoming a CAP Public Affairs Insider, CAP members can remain more informed on legislative and regulatory activities affecting the practice of medicine and access to care as we move through a very busy year.

Medication errors and adverse reactions occur in all healthcare settings, including the physician's office practice. To mitigate these risks, rigorous medication management policies should be adopted in the office setting.