(a) The purpose of this chapter is to encourage the more effective utilization of the skills of physicians by establishing guidelines for the delegation of health care tasks to qualified non-physicians providing services under reasonable physician control and supervision where such delegation is consistent with the patient's health and welfare; and to provide guidelines for physicians in order that existing legal constraints should not be an unnecessary hindrance to the more effective provision of health care services. Texas Occupations Code Annotated, §§164.001, 164.052, and 164.053 empower the Texas Medical Board to cancel, revoke or suspend the license of any practitioner of medicine upon proof that such practitioner is guilty of failing to supervise adequately the activities of persons acting under the physician's supervision, allowing another person to use his license for the purpose of practicing medicine, or of aiding or abetting, directly or indirectly, the practice of medicine by a person or entity not licensed to do so by the board. The board recognizes that the delivery of quality health care requires expertise and assistance of many dedicated individuals in the allied health profession. The provisions of this chapter are not intended to, and shall not be construed to, restrict the physician from delegating administrative and technical or clinical tasks not involving the exercise of medical judgment, to those specially trained individuals instructed and directed by a licensed physician who accepts responsibility for the acts of such allied health personnel. The board recognizes that statutory law shall prevail over any rules adopted and that the practice of medicine is, under Texas Occupations Code Annotated §151.002(13), defined as follows: A person shall be considered to be practicing medicine within the Medical Practice Act ("the Act"):
  (1) who shall publicly profess to be a physician or surgeon and shall diagnose, treat, or offer to treat, any disease or disorder, mental or physical, or any physical deformity or injury, by any system or method, or to effect cures thereof; or
  (2) who shall diagnose, treat, or offer to treat any disease or disorder, mental or physical or any physical deformity or injury by any system or method and to effect cures thereof and charge therefor, directly or indirectly, money or other compensation.
(b) Likewise, nothing in this chapter shall be construed as to prohibit a physician from instructing a technician, assistant, or nurse to perform delegated tasks so long as the physician retains supervision and control of the technician, assistant, or employee. Nothing in this chapter should be construed to relieve the supervising physician of the professional or legal responsibility for the care and treatment of those persons with whom the delegating physician has established a physician-patient relationship. Nothing in this chapter shall enlarge or extend the applicable statutory law relating to the practice of medicine, or other rules and regulations previously promulgated by the board.

Source Note: The provisions of this §193.1 adopted to be effective November 7, 2013, 38 TexReg 7711