2017 South Carolina Code of Laws
Title 40 - Professions and Occupations
CHAPTER 47 - PHYSICIANS AND MISCELLANEOUS HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONALS
Section 40-47-195. Supervising physicians; scope of practice guidelines.

(A) A licensee who supervises another practitioner shall hold a permanent, active, unrestricted authorization to practice in this State and be currently engaged in the active practice of their respective profession or shall hold an active unrestricted academic license to practice medicine in this State.

(B) Pursuant to this chapter, only licensed physicians may supervise another practitioner who performs delegated medical acts in accordance with the practitioner's applicable scope of professional practice authorized by state law. It is the supervising physician's responsibility to ensure that delegated medical acts to the APRN (NP, CNM, or CNS) or other practitioners are performed under approved written scope of practice guidelines or approved written protocol in accordance with the applicable scope of professional practice authorized by state law. A copy of approved written scope of practice guidelines or approved written protocol, dated and signed by the supervising physician and the practitioner, must be provided to the board by the supervising physician within seventy-two hours of request by a representative of the department or board.

(C) In evaluating a written guideline or protocol, the board and supervising physician shall consider the:

(1) training and experience of the supervising physician;

(2) nature and complexity of the delegated medical acts being performed;

(3) geographic proximity of the supervising physician to the supervised practitioner; when the supervising physician is to be more than forty-five miles from the supervised practitioner, special consideration must be given to the manner in which the physician intends to monitor the practitioner, and prior board approval must be received for this practice; and

(4) number of other practitioners the physician supervises. Reference must be given to the number of supervised practitioners, as prescribed by law. When the supervising physician assumes responsibility for more than the number of practitioners prescribed by law, special consideration must be given to the manner in which the physician intends to monitor, and prior board approval must be received for this practice.

HISTORY: 2006 Act No. 385, Section 1.