HB 1273: Professions and businesses; authorize physician assistants to receive certain delegated authorities from podiatric physicians

Under current Georgia law, physician assistants (PAs) can be supervised only by physicians licensed to practice medicine and surgery, not by podiatric physicians (foot and leg doctors, sometimes called podiatrists). House Bill 1273 changes that by amending the laws governing physician assistants (O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 34) and podiatry practice (O.C.G.A. Title 43, Chapter 35) so that podiatric physicians can become primary or alternate supervising physicians for PAs. The bill adds new definitions for terms like 'supervising podiatric physician' and 'primary supervising podiatric physician,' and creates a new Code section, 43-35-3.1, spelling out what podiatric physicians can delegate to PAs: ordering controlled and dangerous drugs, dispensing drugs under certain conditions, requesting and distributing drug samples, and signing podiatric health records. It also gives the State Board of Podiatry Examiners new authority to approve job descriptions, discipline PAs working in podiatry, issue private reprimand letters, and coordinate with the Georgia Composite Medical Board. The changes would apply once the medical board has licensed a PA and the chapter's other requirements are met.

• Allows podiatric physicians (foot and leg doctors) to supervise physician assistants the same way medical doctors currently do, creating 'supervising podiatric physician' roles.
• Lets podiatric physicians delegate authority to physician assistants to order controlled substances, dangerous drugs, podiatric treatments, and diagnostic studies through an approved job description.
• Gives the State Board of Podiatry Examiners power to approve job descriptions, terminate or suspend a physician assistant's approval, and issue private reprimand letters for PAs working in podiatry.
• Creates a new Code section (43-35-3.1) setting rules for delegating prescribing, sample distribution, and record-signing authority to physician assistants working under podiatric physicians.
• Requires the State Board of Podiatry Examiners and the Georgia Composite Medical Board to cooperate and notify each other when a physician assistant's podiatric supervision is terminated or suspended.
• Makes the new podiatric supervision authority effective only after the Georgia Composite Medical Board has already licensed the physician assistant under existing rules.

Physician assistants and the podiatric physicians (foot and leg doctors) who would newly be allowed to supervise them; the Georgia Composite Medical Board and the State Board of Podiatry Examiners, which gain new licensing and disciplinary duties; and patients receiving foot and leg care from physician assistants working under podiatric supervision.

If enacted, patients seeking foot and leg care could be treated by physician assistants working under a podiatrist rather than only under a medical doctor, potentially expanding access to care. Podiatric practices would gain more staffing flexibility, while two licensing boards would take on new coordination and oversight responsibilities.

• Section 1 rewrites definitions in O.C.G.A. § 43-34-102 to add 'alternate supervising podiatric physician,' 'podiatric physician,' and 'primary supervising podiatric physician.'
• Section 2 amends O.C.G.A. § 43-34-103 so podiatric physicians can submit job descriptions and delegate prescribing authority to physician assistants, subject to the same eight-PA supervision cap that applies to physicians.
• Section 6 revises O.C.G.A. § 43-34-107 to let the State Board of Podiatry Examiners terminate or suspend a PA's podiatric approval, issue private reprimand letters, and requires it to notify the medical board of such actions.
• Section 9 rewrites O.C.G.A. § 43-35-3 to add podiatry-specific definitions for 'administer,' 'controlled substance,' 'dangerous drug,' 'job description,' 'order,' and 'physician assistant.'
• Section 10 creates new O.C.G.A. § 43-35-3.1, detailing what podiatric physicians may delegate to physician assistants, including ordering controlled substances from a board-established formulary and dispensing drugs to low-income patients at certain clinics.
• Section 11 creates new O.C.G.A. § 43-35-11.1, stating the delegation authority takes effect only after the Georgia Composite Medical Board has licensed the physician assistant, and requiring the two boards to cooperate on oversight.

1. 2026-02-12House Second Readers (House)
2. 2026-02-11House First Readers (House)
3. 2026-02-10House Hopper (House)

• Angie O'Steen (R, HD-169)Primary sponsor
• Gerald Greene (R, HD-154)
• Karen Mathiak (R, HD-082)
• Alan Powell (R, HD-033)
• Darlene Taylor (R, HD-173)

• podiatry
• physician assistants
• medical licensing
• health care regulation
• prescription authority