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- Advocacy Win: ASP-CAP Amended Pathologists’ Assistant Legislation Signed into Law
On March 29, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey signed House Bill 2197 into law, which authorized pathologists’ assistants to assist with the performance of forensic autopsies under the direct supervision of licensed forensic pathologists. In coordination with the CAP, the Arizona Society of Pathologists (ASP) and the National Association of Medical Examiners (NAME) successfully worked to protect pathologists’ scope of practice in forensic pathology. The CAP advocates to protect pathologists’ scope of practice from encroachment from non-physician allied health professionals.
The ASP, the CAP, and the NAME successfully amended the bill, prior to introduction, to ensure pathologists’ assistants are under the direct supervision of a licensed physician who is board certified in forensic pathology under procedures adopted by the county medical examiner or alternate medical examiner. Additionally, the new law expressly precludes pathologists’ assistants’ from having authority to certify a cause of death or independently performing autopsies. Within the original legislation, the ASP, CAP, and NAME were concerned that pathologists’ assistants were placed on equal scope footing with medical students, residents, and fellows in pathology training for purposes of autopsy performance.
The bill was advocated by the County Supervisors Association of Arizona, seeking to address forensic pathology workforce shortages, and mitigate administrative burdens on Arizona county medical examiner offices adversely impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic and the opioid crisis.