Arizona PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

Arizona requires every PA to have at least one physician responsible for their oversight, but how involved that physician must be depends on the PA’s experience. A PA with fewer than 8,000 clinical practice hours works under a written supervision agreement, and the supervising physician is responsible for all aspects of that PA’s performance. Once a PA has 8,000 hours certified by the board, they can practice collaboratively with much lower physician involvement — though they still must collaborate with, consult with, or refer to appropriate health care professionals, and one or more physicians must still be named as responsible for their oversight. Arizona does not require the supervision agreement to be filed with the board; it is kept at the practice site instead. This page covers Arizona’s rules on the collaborative relationship, the supervision agreement, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: AZ Rev. Stat. 32-2533(A)

Type of Collaborative Relationship

Arizona requires a physician to be responsible for a PA’s oversight, with the level of involvement tied to the PA’s hours. Below 8,000 clinical practice hours, the PA works under a supervision agreement and the supervising physician is responsible for all aspects of the PA’s performance. At 8,000 board-certified hours, the PA moves to collaborative practice with low physician involvement, but a named physician responsible for oversight is still required — Arizona is not a fully independent practice state for PAs.

Source: AZ Rev. Stat. 32-2533(A)

What is a PA’s scope of practice in Arizona?

For a PA with fewer than 8,000 clinical practice hours, scope of practice is described in the written supervision agreement. The supervising physician must ensure the tasks a PA performs are within the PA’s training and experience and have been properly delegated. PAs at every experience level must collaborate with, consult with, or refer to appropriate health care professionals.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in Arizona?

Yes. A PA with fewer than 8,000 hours needs a supervision agreement with a physician or with an employer that has at least one physician who can provide oversight, and even after 8,000 hours one or more physicians must be named as responsible for the PA’s oversight.

Can PAs practice independently in Arizona?

No. After 8,000 board-certified clinical practice hours a PA practices collaboratively with low physician involvement and no supervision agreement, but a physician must still be named as responsible for oversight and the PA must continue to collaborate with, consult with, or refer to appropriate health care professionals.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in Arizona?

A supervising physician may not supervise more than six PAs working at the same time.

Who can be a collaborating physician in Arizona?

Arizona sets no experience, specialty, or continuing education requirements for the physician. The physician providing oversight must hold a current unrestricted license, and the supervision agreement may be made either with that physician directly or with an employer — a physician, physician group practice, physician private practice, or licensed health care institution — that employs or has such a physician on its medical staff.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Arizona?

No, Arizona sets no distance, travel, or on-site presence requirement. Supervision means the physician’s opportunity or ability to direct and control the PA’s services, and it does not require the physician’s constant physical presence as long as the physician is or can easily be in contact with the PA by telecommunication.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

Arizona’s written agreement is called a supervision agreement, and it is required only for PAs with fewer than 8,000 clinical practice hours. It must describe the PA’s scope of practice and spell out the PA’s authority to prescribe, dispense, or administer controlled substances in Schedules II and III and in Schedules IV and V. The state does not provide a template, but the agreement must be signed, may be written or electronic, and must be kept on file at the PA’s main practice location.

Source: AZ Rev. Stat. 32-2501(19)

What must be included in a PA collaborative agreement in Arizona?

The supervision agreement must describe the PA’s scope of practice and specify the PA’s controlled-substance authority. For a PA with fewer than 8,000 clinical practice hours, it must state the PA’s ability to prescribe, dispense, or administer Schedule II or Schedule III substances and, separately, Schedule IV or Schedule V substances. Arizona does not provide a state template.

What is the collaborative agreement called in Arizona?

It is called a supervision agreement. It applies to PAs with fewer than 8,000 hours of clinical practice.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Arizona?

Arizona does not name specific signatories, but the agreement must be signed and may be written or electronic. It is an agreement between the PA and either a physician or the PA’s employer.

How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in Arizona?

Arizona sets no review or renewal schedule for the supervision agreement.

Is a backup physician required in Arizona?

No, Arizona sets no backup or alternate physician requirement.

Board Filing Requirements

Arizona does not require the supervision agreement to be filed with the board. Instead, it must be kept on file at the PA’s main practice location and produced to the board or a board representative on request. The one board submission Arizona does require is the application a PA files to have their 8,000 clinical practice hours certified, which is what unlocks collaborative practice.

Source: AZ Rev. Stat. 32-2531(C)

Do you have to file the collaborative agreement with the board in Arizona?

No. The supervision agreement is kept at the main location of the PA’s practice and made available to the board on request rather than filed. No additional documents are required to be filed for the supervising relationship itself.

Can a PA start practicing as soon as they file in Arizona?

There is nothing to file for the supervising relationship, so no waiting period applies. Moving to collaborative practice is different: a PA must apply to the board for certification of their clinical practice hours, with documentation of those hours submitted to the board directly by the record custodian or someone with direct knowledge.

What are the termination and notice requirements in Arizona?

Arizona sets no termination or notice requirement when a supervising relationship ends.

Collaboration Compliance

Arizona’s ongoing obligations are lighter than most states: no required meeting cadence, no chart co-signature, and no specific recordkeeping requirement. What is required is that the physician-PA team establish a process for evaluating the PA’s performance, that the physician be reachable, and that Schedule II and Schedule III prescribing be tracked and reviewed.

Source: AZ Rev. Stat. 32-2533(B)(4),(D)

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Arizona?

Arizona sets no general chart review count. The physician-PA team must establish a process for evaluating the PA’s performance, and a supervising physician must develop a system for recording and reviewing every instance in which the PA prescribes a Schedule II or Schedule III controlled substance. Chart co-signature is not required.

How often must a PA and collaborating physician meet in Arizona?

Arizona sets no required meeting cadence. The team must have a process in place for evaluating the PA’s performance, and the physician must be, or be able to easily be, in contact with the PA by telecommunication.

How long must collaboration records be kept in Arizona?

Arizona sets no records retention period for the supervising relationship. The supervision agreement itself must be kept on file at the PA’s main practice location and made available to the board on request.

Prescribing Rules

PAs in Arizona may prescribe, dispense, and administer controlled substances in Schedules II through V, but the requirements differ by schedule. Schedules II and III require board approval plus federal DEA registration; Schedules IV and V require federal DEA registration. A PA with fewer than 8,000 clinical practice hours may only prescribe within the controlled-substance authority written into their supervision agreement, and Arizona places specific limits on Schedule III through V prescriptions.

Source: AZ Rev. Stat. 32-2532(A)

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in Arizona?

Yes, in Schedules II through V. Schedule II and Schedule III prescribing requires board approval and federal DEA registration; Schedule IV and Schedule V prescribing requires federal DEA registration. A PA with fewer than 8,000 clinical practice hours must have that authority specified in their supervision agreement.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in Arizona?

Yes, with board approval and federal DEA registration. A PA with fewer than 8,000 clinical practice hours must also have Schedule II authority specified in their supervision agreement, and the supervising physician must record and review every Schedule II prescription the PA writes.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in Arizona?

Schedules II, III, IV, and V, with limits on the lower schedules. A PA may not prescribe any given Schedule IV or Schedule V controlled substance more than five times in a six-month period for the same patient, and a PA’s prescription for a Schedule III opioid or benzodiazepine is not refillable without a physician’s written consent.

Does a PA need a DEA license in Arizona?

Yes, federal DEA registration is required to prescribe, dispense, or administer any controlled substance in Schedules II through V. Arizona does not require a separate state controlled-substance registration, and it sets no prescription pad requirements.

Can a PA prescribe independently (without physician sign-off) in Arizona?

Not for the higher schedules. Schedule II and Schedule III prescribing requires board approval, a supervising physician must record and review every Schedule II and Schedule III prescription, and a Schedule III opioid or benzodiazepine cannot be refilled without a physician’s written consent. For a PA with fewer than 8,000 hours, all controlled-substance authority is bounded by what the supervision agreement specifies.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

Arizona’s master regulatory data does not address telehealth-specific or specialty-specific requirements for PAs. The standard collaboration, agreement, and prescribing rules apply, including the requirement that the physician be reachable by telecommunication.

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in Arizona?

Arizona sets no telehealth-specific requirement for PAs in the master regulatory data. Contact by telecommunication satisfies the availability standard between a PA and the physician responsible for their oversight.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in Arizona?

Arizona sets no specialty-specific requirements for PAs in the master regulatory data.