Risk Management Tip

Doctors, beware! Are you putting your medical practice at risk by using a medical assistant (MA) improperly? The ability of MAs to perform certain tasks is of great benefit to physicians and licensed mid-level healthcare practitioners in providing effective and efficient patient care. However, no matter how competent an MA may be, he or she is an unlicensed professional and therefore should not be assigned the roles of licensed healthcare professionals.

The functions that MAs may perform have been defined by California’s Business and Professions Code and by the California Code of Regulations. The Medical Board of California and the California Medical Association provide additional guidelines based on the governing laws. These laws provide a category of specifically delineated tasks called “technical supportive services,” which include the following:

• Administer medication by methods other than injection.
• Apply and remove bandages and dressings; remove (not apply) casts, splints, and other external devices.
• Remove sutures or staples from superficial incisions or lacerations.
• Provide patient information and instructions as authorized by the physician.

Medical assistants must carry out all job duties under the supervision of the physician who maintains responsibility for the patient’s treatment and care. The supervising physician must always be physically present in the facility when an MA is performing patient care.

Violating any of the relevant codes — either deliberately or due to misunderstanding of the codes — puts you and your medical assistant at risk for serious sanctions by the Medical Board of California. It also makes your medical practice more vulnerable to medical malpractice lawsuits.