SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1889        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1128

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Sonia Chang-Diaz

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act to increase access to immunizations.

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PETITION OF:

SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1889        FILED ON: 1/16/2015

SENATE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 1128

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Eighty-Ninth General Court
(2015-2016)

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An Act to increase access to immunizations.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1.  Subsection (a) of section 9 of chapter 94C of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2012 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting at the end thereof the following:-

A practitioner may cause an immunization to be administered under the practitioner’s direction by a certified medical assistant pursuant to section 265 of chapter 112.

SECTION 2.Chapter 112 of the General Laws is hereby amended by adding the following section:-

Section 265. (a) As used in this section, the following words shall, unless the context clearly requires otherwise, have the following meanings:-

“Certified Medical Assistant”, an individual who: (i) is a is a graduate of a post-secondary medical assisting education program accredited by the Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation of the American Medical Association, or its successor, the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools, or its successor or such other certificate program as the Department of Public Health shall approve; (ii) is employed in the medical practice of a licensed primary care provider; and  (iii) who performs basic administrative, clerical, and clinical duties upon the specific authorization and under the direct supervision of a licensed primary care provider.

“Direct Supervision”, oversight of a certified medical assistant exercised by a primary care provider who is present in the facility and immediately available to furnish assistance and direction throughout the course of the performance of a delegated procedure but is not required to be present in the room when the procedure is being performed.

“Primary care provider”, a health care professional qualified to provide general medical care for common health care problems who: (i) supervises, coordinates, prescribes, or otherwise provides or proposes health care services; (ii) initiates referrals for specialist care; and (iii) maintains continuity of care within the scope of practice.

(b) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, a primary care provider acting within their designated scope of practice may delegate the administration of an immunization to a patient to a certified medical assistant.

(c) The department of public health shall promulgate regulations governing the administration of immunizations by certified medical assistants

(d) Nothing in this section shall be construed as authorizing the licensure of certified medical assistants.