Nurse Practitioner Cheat Sheet for Pennsylvania
Requirements for Supervising Physician agreements in Pennsylvania, plus a free agreement builder tailored to Pennsylvania law.
Provider supervision requirements in Pennsylvania
Updated 2026-09-03
Provided for educational and research purposes only — this is not legal advice. Laws and regulations change frequently, and this content may contain errors or omissions. Always confirm current requirements with a licensed attorney before relying on this for compliance decisions.
Pennsylvania has no independent-practice pathway for CRNPs — SB 25-style full-practice-authority bills have been introduced every session without passing. PA (physician assistant) reform via Acts 78/79 of 2021 removed prior Board pre-approval of written agreements and the flat 100%-countersignature rule after the first year, but a written agreement and supervision remain mandatory. PA is a CPOM state: only licensed physicians may own a medical professional corporation.
Nurse Practitioner
Pennsylvania is a reduced-practice state for CRNPs. Full-practice-authority bills (e.g. S.B. 25) have been reintroduced every session without passing — there is no experience- or hours-based independent-practice pathway.
Proximity
Available remotely (no on-site requirement)
The collaborating physician must be immediately available in person or by telecommunication; the collaborative agreement must specify the circumstances and frequency of in-person patient visits, but no statewide mile/minute radius is codified (49 Pa. Code § 21.285).Chart review
Not codified — left to the practice agreement
Prescriptive authority
Separate prescribing terms required · controlled substances permitted
Collaborative agreement must be reviewed and updated at least every 2 years, with written notice to the Board of any update or termination — this is an agreement-maintenance cadence, not a recurring in-person meeting requirement, so it isn't encoded under meetingRequirements above.Practice ownership (CPOM)
Licensee-only ownership required — Restricted Professional Company/LLP or professional corporation structures used for medical practices do not list 'the practice of nursing' as an eligible service, and Board of Medicine rules cast doubt on solo CRNP practice ownership — secondary legal commentary (Stevens & Lee) describes the law as leaving 'enough room' for a CRNP to structure ownership but not expressly permitting it. Treat CRNP independent practice ownership as an open, unconfirmed item rather than a settled pathway.
This ownership uncertainty is legally distinct from, and does not change, the Collaborative Agreement requirement governing clinical practice above.Supervision ratio
Not codified — left to the practice agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the practice agreement
Written agreement
Required
Legal sources
$650–$950/mo
Estimated NP supervision cost in Pennsylvania
Available Supervising Physicians in Pennsylvania
Browse supervising physicians open to new collaborations near you.