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Committee on Physicians Assistants

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About the Committee on Physicians Assistants

The Committee on Physician Assistants was created in 1985 by the State Legislature. It is responsible for safeguarding the health, safety, and welfare of Tennesseans by requiring all that practice as physician assistants are qualified. The Committee, working with the Board of Medical Examiners, interprets the laws, rules, and regulations to determine the appropriate standards of practice to ensure the highest degree of professional conduct.

The Committee is authorized to issue licenses to qualified candidates who have completed appropriate education and successfully completed required examinations. The Committee, along with the Board, determines the appropriate standard of care, investigates alleged violations of law and rules, and disciplines licensees who are found guilty of such violations.

Administrative staff of the Division of Health Related Boards supports the Committee by issuing licenses to those who meet the requirements of the law and rules. Licenses are awarded in the following categories:

  • Physician Assistant
  • Orthopedic Physician Assistant

Renewal notices are mailed from the Committee's administrative office forty-five (45) days prior to the expiration of the license to the licensee holder's current address on record. Licenses can be renewed on-line one hundred twenty (120) days prior to expiration at Tennessee.gov/health. Click on the "License Renewal" link and follow the prompts. Licensees are responsible for renewing their licenses on time and keeping the Board apprised of current information. It is a violation of the law and of the board’s rules to practice on an expired license. An individual licensed, registered, or certified as a physician assistant in another state may be licensed in Tennessee by either examination or reciprocity from other states.

The Committee currently meets four (4) times each year. A quorum of four (4) members is required to conduct business. The meetings are open to the public. All members are appointed by the Governor and serve four (4) year terms. The seven (7) member Committee consists of five (5) physician assistants, one (1) orthopedic physician assistant and one (1) health care consumer.

Contact the Committee on Physicians Assistants

To contact this board, call (615) 532-3202 local or 1-800-778-4123 nationwide or write
227 French Landing, Suite 300
Nashville, TN 37243


Members


Board Members

Member Position Representation Term Expires
Johnny W. Presley Chairman Physician Assistant 05-31-2013
Ms. Johnny S. Nowlin Secretary Physician Assistant 05-31-2013
Omar Nava Board Member Physician Assistant 06-30-2014
Ann Arney Board Member Citizen 05-31-2013
James Montag, Jr. Board Member Physician Assistant 07-31-2012
Gary L. Tauxe Board Member Orthopedic Physician Assistant 05-31-2011
Jonathan S. White Board Member Physician Assistant 05-31-2011

Meeting Schedule


Meeting Schedule

Public Notices will remain online until the minutes are ratified and posted on the Meeting Minutes Tab. Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at 227 French Landing, MetroCenter.

Committee on Physicians Assistants Meeting Schedule
Date Time Event and Location Public Notice
April 13, 2012 9:00 a.m. Poplar Room, HRB Conference Center  
July 13, 2012 9:00 a.m. Iris Room, HRB Conference Center  
October 5, 2012 9:00 a.m. Poplar Room, HRB Conference Center  

Meeting Minutes


Meeting Minutes

Copies of all minutes are maintained in the official record section of the administrative office. Please contact the board administrator to make arrangements to review minutes of meetings held prior to 2004.

Practitioner Profiles

Information Required to be Reported on Practitioner Profiles

To view your current profile, please go to http://health.state.tn.us/Licensure/Default.aspx and enter your license number and profession, then click on the Practitioner Profile link.

To make changes to your profile, you can go to http://health.state.tn.us/Downloads/g6019027.pdf and fill in the changes, print the document and mail to the appropriate board.

The professions required to submit and maintain a practitioner profile questionnaire are:

Advanced Practice Nurses
Alcohol and Drug Counselors
Audiologists
Chiropractic Physicians
Clinical Pastoral Therapists
Dentists
Dietitian/Nutritionists
Dispensing Opticians
Electrologists
Licensed Registered Respiratory Therapists
Licensed Certified Respiratory Therapists
Licensed Laboratory Personnel
Marital & Family Therapists
Massage Therapists
Medical Doctors

Nursing Home Administrators
Occupational Therapists
Optometrists
Orthopedic Physician Assistants
Osteopathic Physicians
Pharmacists
Physician Assistants
Physical Therapists
Podiatrists
Professional Counselors
Psychologists
Respiratory Care Assistants
Social Workers
Speech Language Pathologists
Veterinarians

Tennessee Code Annotated Title 63 Chapter 51 requires the following information to be reported to the Board for dissemination to the public on practitioner profiles:

  • The location of the licensee's primary practice setting;
  • A description of any criminal convictions for felonies and, as determined by the board, serious misdemeanors, within the most recent ten (10) years. For the purposes of this subsection (a), a person shall be deemed to be convicted of a crime if such person was found or adjudged guilty by a court of competent jurisdiction. Misdemeanor convictions later expunged by a court of competent jurisdiction shall be stricken from the provider's profile;
  • A description of any final board disciplinary actions within the most recent ten (10) years, which actions shall include final board action as defined by § 4-5-314, and reprimand action taken pursuant to a board practice act;
  • A description of any final disciplinary actions of licensing boards in other states within the most recent ten (10) years;
  • A description of revocation or involuntary restrictions of hospital privileges for reasons related to competence or character that has been taken by the hospital’s governing body or any other official action of the hospital after procedural due process has been afforded, or the resignation from or nonrenewal of medical staff membership or the restriction orf privileges as a hospital taken in lieu of or in settlement or a pending disciplinary case related to competence or character in that hospital, all as taken pursuant to procedures promulgated by the board for licensing health care facilities.  Only cases that have occurred within the most recent ten (10) years shall be disclosed by the department to the public;
  • All medical malpractice court judgments, all medical malpractice arbitration awards in which a payment is awarded to a complaining party and all settlements of medical malpractice claims in which a payment is made to a complaining party beginning with reports for 1998 and each subsequent year; provided, such reports shall not be disseminated beyond the most recent ten-year period, but shall include the most recent ten-year period for which reports have been filed. Each provider licensing board shall set by rule adopted pursuant to the Uniform Administrative Procedures Act, compiled in title 4, chapter 5, a threshold amount below which judgments or settlements shall not be reportable; provided, such threshold shall, for chapter 6 or 9 of this title licensees, be set at seventy-five thousand dollars ($75,000), for doctors of chiropractic, regulated pursuant to chapter 4 of this title, be set at fifty thousand dollars ($50,000), for dentists, regulated pursuant to chapter 5 of this title, be set at twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000), and for all other licensees under this title be set at ten thousand dollars ($10,000). Dispositions of paid claims shall be reported in a minimum of three (3) graduated categories indicating the level of significance of the award or settlement. Information concerning paid medical malpractice claims shall be put in context by comparing an individual licensee's medical malpractice judgment awards and settlements to the experience of other providers within the same specialty. Information concerning the existence of a court-sealed settlement shall be reported in cases involving such a settlement. Information concerning all settlements shall be accompanied by the following statement: “Settlement of a claim may occur for a variety of reasons which do not necessarily reflect negatively on the professional competence or conduct of the provider. A payment in settlement of a medical malpractice action or claim should not be construed as creating a presumption that medical malpractice has occurred.” (Pending malpractice claims shall not be disclosed by a board to the public.);
  • Names of medical schools or professional and training schools and dates of graduation;    
  • Graduate medical education or other graduate-level training;
  • Specialty board certification as determined by the relevant board;
  • Names of the hospitals where the licensee has privileges;
  • The location of the licensee's primary practice setting;
  • The identification of any translating services that may be available at the licensee's primary practice location;
  • An indication of which managed care plans in which the licensee participates;
  • An indication of TennCare plans in which the licensee participates;
  • Appointments to medical school faculties and indication as to whether a licensee has a responsibility for graduate medical education within the most recent ten (10) years; (optional)
  • Information regarding publications in peer-reviewed medical literature; (optional) and
  • Information regarding professional or community service associations, activities and awards; (optional)

National Organization


National Organizations of State Boards

Information on the American Academy of Physician Assistants may be obtained by phone, fax, Internet, or writing to:

American Academy of Physician Assistants
950 North Washington
Alexandria, VA 22314
Phone: (703) 836-2272
Fax: (703) 684-1924
E-mail: aapa@aapa.org
www.aapa.org

National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants
12000 Findley Road, Suite 200
Duluth, GA  30097
Phone:  (678) 417-8100
Fax:  (678) 417-8135
E-mail: nccpa@nccpa.net
www.nccpa.net