S 5720: Establishes registered medical assistants; outlines what such persons can do with such title.

  
  STATE OF NEW YORK ________________________________________________________________________ 5720 2025-2026 Regular Sessions  IN SENATE February 28, 2025 ___________ Introduced by Sen. SKOUFIS -- read twice and ordered printed, and when printed to be committed to the Committee on Higher Education AN ACT to amend the education law, in relation to establishing regis- tered medical assistants The People of the State of New York, represented in Senate and Assem- bly, do enact as follows: 1 Section 1. The education law is amended by adding a new article 131-D 2 to read as follows: 3 ARTICLE 131-D 4 MEDICAL ASSISTANTS 5 Section 6549-aa. Definitions. 6 6549-bb. Registration. 7 6549-cc. Performance of medical assistant services. 8 6549-dd. Construction. 9 6549-ee. Regulations. 10 § 6549-aa. Definitions. As used in this article: 11 1. "Medical assistant" means a person who is registered pursuant to 12 this article as a medical assistant. 13 2. "Health care practitioner" means a physician, physician assistant, 14 nurse practitioner, podiatrist, or midwife licensed or certified pursu- 15 ant to this title. 16 3. "Basic administrative and clerical tasks" means those non-clinical 17 services related to medical office operations, including but not limited 18 to: updating and filing patient records and insurance forms; billing and 19 coding; completing hospital admissions forms; and assigning referrals 20 and laboratory services. 21 4. "Advanced clinical tasks" means preparing and administering vacci- 22 nations or immunizations. 23 5. "Approved program" means a post-secondary medical assisting educa- 24 tion program that is accredited by the Commission on Accreditation of 25 Allied Health Education Programs or the American Medical Association or EXPLANATION--Matter in italics (underscored) is new; matter in brackets [ ] is old law to be omitted. LBD09536-01-5 
 S. 5720 2 1 its successor, the Accrediting Bureau of Health Education Schools or its 2 successor, or another certificate program for the education of medical 3 assistants approved by the department. 4 § 6549-bb. Registration. 1. To qualify for registration as a medical 5 assistant, each person shall pay a fee of one hundred fifteen dollars to 6 the department and shall also submit satisfactory evidence, verified by 7 oath or affirmation, that such person: 8 (a) at the time of application is at least eighteen years of age; 9 (b) is of good moral character; and 10 (c) has successfully completed an approved program. 11 2. The department shall furnish to each person applying for registra- 12 tion hereunder an application form calling for such information as the 13 department deems necessary and shall issue to each applicant who satis- 14 fies the requirements of subdivision one of this section a certificate 15 of registration as medical assistant for the period expiring December 16 thirty-first of the first odd-numbered year terminating subsequent to 17 such registration. 18 3. Every registrant shall apply to the department for a certificate of 19 registration. The department shall mail to every registered medical 20 assistant an application form for registration, addressed to the regis- 21 trant's post office address on file with the department. Upon receipt of 22 such application properly executed, together with evidence of satisfac- 23 tory completion of such continuing education requirements as may be 24 established by the commissioner in consultation with the commissioner of 25 health, the department shall issue a certificate of registration. 26 Registration periods shall be triennial and the registration fee shall 27 be forty-five dollars. 28 § 6549-cc. Performance of medical assistant services. 1. (a) Notwith- 29 standing any other provision of law, a medical assistant may perform 30 basic administrative and clerical tasks. 31 (b) In addition to those tasks described in paragraph (a) of this 32 subdivision and in addition to regulations promulgated by the depart- 33 ment, a medical assistant may perform advanced clinical tasks, but only 34 when assigned by a health care practitioner and subject to such health 35 care practitioner's supervision. Such supervision shall be continuous 36 but shall not be construed as necessarily requiring the physical pres- 37 ence of the supervising health care practitioner at the time and place 38 where such services are performed. 39 2. Notwithstanding any other provision of law, a medical assistant 40 trainee in an approved program may perform medical assistant services, 41 provided that any advanced clinical tasks must be subject to direct 42 supervision by a supervising health care practitioner, when such 43 services are performed within the scope of such supervising health care 44 practitioner. 45 § 6549-dd. Construction. Only a person registered as a medical assist- 46 ant by the department may use the title "registered medical assistant" 47 or the letters "M.A.-R" after the individual's name. 48 § 6549-ee. Regulations. The commissioner, in consultation with the 49 commissioner of health, shall promulgate regulations regarding education 50 and continuing education requirements for a medical assistant and such 51 other rules and regulations as may be necessary or appropriate to carry 52 out the purposes of this article. 53 § 2. Section 6908 of the education law is amended by adding a new 54 subdivision 2-a to read as follows: 
 S. 5720 3 1 2-a. This article shall not be construed as prohibiting advanced tasks 2 provided by a registered medical assistant pursuant to article one 3 hundred thirty-one-D of this title. 4 § 3. The amendments to the education law enacted by this act shall not 5 be construed to expand or contract the scope of practice of any health 6 care professional under title 8 of the education law, nor shall this act 7 limit the ability of any unregistered or unlicensed person to perform 8 tasks not otherwise regulated by such title. 9 § 4. This act shall take effect on the ninetieth day after it shall 10 have become a law. Effective immediately, the addition, amendment and/or 11 repeal of any rule or regulation necessary for the implementation of 12 this act on its effective date are authorized to be made and completed 13 on or before such effective date.