Practice Agreement · NP
Nurse Practitioner Practice Agreement in Arizona
Arizona law does not require a Nurse Practitioner to hold a named agreement with a physician. Practices still use one to define the working relationship; here is what it covers and what the state does require.
A.R.S. § 32-1601 defines registered nurse practitioner scope — including diagnosis and prescribing — with no collaborative or supervisory agreement mentioned; NPs need only consult/refer within normal professional judgment, the same standard a physician follows.
What a Nurse Practitioner practice agreement covers in Arizona
Governed by the Arizona State Board of Nursing and the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy. Each numbered item is a statutory requirement the agreement must satisfy.
Arizona does not require the Nurse Practitioner to enter into a collaboration or supervision agreement with a physician. The Nurse Practitioner practices, diagnoses, and prescribes, including Schedule II through V controlled substances with a DEA registration, under the Nurse Practitioner's own license, consistent with A.R.S. § 32-1601 et seq.
This Agreement's terms regarding the Nurse Practitioner accordingly serve to define the working relationship, referral pathways, and any Medical Director oversight between the Parties, and are not themselves required by Arizona law as a condition of the Nurse Practitioner's authority to practice.
- The agreement on file also carries 1 scope, 1 education, 1 registration clauses, generated in the document itself.
Statutes and rules cited
- A.R.S. § 32-1970statute
Authorizes a collaborative practice agreement between a pharmacist and a provider with prescriptive authority to initiate, monitor, and modify drug therapy or provide disease management assistance; sets required agreement contents.
Terms it has to carry
Ratio, proximity, chart review, meeting and prescribing terms the agreement has to carry, from the state's supervision rules.
Proximity
No proximity requirement
No supervising-physician relationship exists to have a proximity standard for.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Legend drugs, devices, and controlled substances within RNP scope per board requirements (AZBN prescribing-requirements guidance; A.A.C. R4-19-511). DEA registration and AZ CSPMP enrollment required to prescribe controlled substances; ≥3 hrs opioid/SUD CE required to prescribe Schedule II.
Written agreement
Not required
Unconditional — no AZ statute conditions NP practice on a collaborative or supervisory agreement with a physician.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Non-licensee ownership permitted — A.R.S. § 10-3301 permits a corporation to engage in the practice of medicine/nursing so long as services are delivered only through individuals licensed in Arizona; no numeric ownership cap was confirmed in the primary text located.
See the ≤49%/≥50% ownership-split caveat on the `pa` entry's CPOM notes — same unconfirmed secondary-source figure would apply here if real.
Legal sources for these rules (3)
- A.R.S. § 32-1601 — Definitions (Nursing, Title 32 Ch. 15)
- A.A.C. R4-19-511 — Prescribing Requirements
- Arizona State Board of Nursing — Prescribing Requirements guidance
About Arizona's rules
Arizona has no explicit statutory CPOM ban; existing doctrine comes only from two optometry cases never applied to physician/PA ownership, making MSO tolerance a reasonable inference rather than a confirmed rule. NP/CNM/PMHNP have FULL practice authority with no collaborative agreement. PA's 2024 reform (A.R.S. Title 32 Ch. 25) removes the written agreement at 8,000 hours but still requires a designated collaborating physician/entity.
Other clinicians in Arizona: see the state overview.