Media Fact Sheet

• The Arizona Regulatory Board of Physician Assistants licenses and regulates over 2,050 physician assistants. Of those, approximately 1,772 practice in the state.

• The Board is comprised of 10 members: 4 physician assistants, 2 allopathic physicians, 2 osteopathic physicians and 2 public members. The Governor appoints each Board member.

• The Board meets quarterly. Special meetings may be called when the Board discusses a Summary Suspension, current legislative issues, or other pressing discussion items.

• Formal Interview: A formal interview is a forum for the physician assistant to appear before the Board and discuss the facts of the case. A physician assistant may choose whether to attend a formal interview or have the case heard at a formal hearing. At the conclusion of a formal interview, the Board may take disciplinary action against a physician assistant. The Board may also choose to issue an advisory letter or dismiss a case without merit.

• Formal Hearing: Formal hearings are sent to an Administrative Law Judge (ALJ) at the Office of Administrative Hearings (OAH). It is a full evidentiary hearing, like in civil courts. The ALJ hears the case, makes a recommendation and refers the case back to the Board for consideration.

• Summary Suspension/Restriction: A Summary Suspension/Restriction is an option to immediately suspend or restrict a physician assistant’s license to perform healthcare tasks when the physician assistant poses an imminent danger to the public health and safety. If the Board takes this action, it is required to serve the physician assistant with a written notice that states the charges and informs the licensee that he/she is entitled to a hearing as expeditiously as possible. The law regards this as an extraordinary and punitive state administrative agency action. Consequently, the Board must establish and have in its administrative record substantial and reliable evidence to support the Board's conclusion that the physician assistant poses an imminent danger to the public health and safety.