A summary of California’s collaboration, agreement, filing, supervision, prescribing, and specialty rules for PAs and the physicians who collaborate with them.
Collaborating Physician Required? Yes
Physician Involvement: Standard
Agreement Name: Practice agreement
On-Site Requirements: None
Chart Review: No fixed count
Controlled Substances: Allowed, Schedules II–V, when the practice agreement authorizes it and the PA holds a federal DEA registration. For Schedule II, the agreement must specify the conditions for which the drug may be furnished; buprenorphine has added restrictions.
Reduced Supervision / Transition Requirements: None
California PA Collaboration Requirements Summary
California requires every PA to work under a supervising (collaborating) physician and a written practice agreement, and there is no independent PA practice. Physician involvement is standard: the physician does not have to be physically present but must be reachable by phone or other electronic communication while the PA provides care, and the physician remains responsible for the PA’s medical services. PAs cannot practice independently in California, and the state sets no hours- or years-based path to reduced supervision. This page covers California’s rules on supervision, the collaborative agreement, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.
Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 3502
Type of Collaborative Relationship
California requires PAs to practice under a supervising physician and a written practice agreement, and physician involvement is standard. There is no route to independent practice for PAs and no hours-based path to reduced supervision. A PA’s authority comes from the practice agreement, which sets the medical services the PA may perform.
Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 3501(f)
What is a PA’s scope of practice in California?
A PA’s scope of practice is set by the written practice agreement, which lists the types of medical services the PA is authorized to perform. Those services are carried out under a supervising physician who remains responsible for the PA’s care.
Do PAs need a collaborating physician in California?
Yes. Every PA in California must have a supervising physician and a practice agreement; there is no independent practice.
Can PAs practice independently in California?
No. California requires a supervising physician and a practice agreement, and the physician remains responsible for the PA’s medical services; there is no independent practice option for PAs.
How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in California?
A physician may supervise up to eight PAs at one time.
Who can be a collaborating physician in California?
A supervising physician must hold a current, valid California medical license — through the Medical Board of California or the Osteopathic Medical Board of California — and cannot be on disciplinary probation that prohibits supervising a PA.
Are there proximity or in-person requirements in California?
No. California does not require the physician to be physically present; the physician must be available by phone or other electronic communication while the PA is providing care. California sets no geographic or travel requirement.
Collaboration Agreement Requirements
California’s written agreement is a practice agreement, and it must spell out the PA’s services, supervision policies, evaluation methods, and any drugs or devices the PA may furnish. Both the PA and the supervising physician sign it, but the state provides no template, sets no review schedule, and does not require it to be stored on-site.
Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 3502.3
What must be included in a PA collaborative agreement in California?
The practice agreement must address the types of medical services the PA may perform, policies and procedures to ensure adequate supervision, methods for continuing evaluation of the PA, and any drugs or devices the PA may furnish or order. It may also include any additional provisions the PA and physician agree to.
What is the collaborative agreement called in California?
It is called a practice agreement.
Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in California?
Both the PA and one or more supervising physicians must sign it.
How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in California?
California sets no fixed review or renewal requirement for the agreement itself.
Is a backup physician required in California?
No, California does not require a backup physician.
Board Filing Requirements
California does not require the practice agreement to be filed with or approved by the board, and there are no additional documents to file. Because nothing is filed, a PA does not wait on a filing to begin, and no recurring filing or termination notice is required.
Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 3502.3(a)(5)
Do you have to file the collaborative agreement with the board in California?
No. California does not require the practice agreement to be filed with or approved by the board, and there are no additional documents to file.
Can a PA start practicing as soon as they file in California?
There is no filing step in California, so this does not apply. A PA practices under a signed practice agreement without filing it with the board.
What are the termination and notice requirements in California?
California requires no termination notice for the practice agreement.
Collaboration Compliance
Once the practice agreement is in place, California requires the supervising physician to be reachable by phone or other electronic communication while the PA provides care and to follow the patient’s progress, but it sets no fixed meeting cadence, chart-review count, or recordkeeping schedule. Chart review and co-signing are required only if the practice agreement calls for them, and the agreement must include a continuing evaluation process for the PA.
Source: Cal. Code Regs. tit. 16, § 1399.545
How many charts must a collaborating physician review in California?
California sets no fixed chart count and does not require chart review or countersignature unless the practice agreement requires it. The agreement must, however, include a process for continuing evaluation of the PA.
How often must a PA and collaborating physician meet in California?
California sets no fixed meeting cadence. The physician must stay available by phone or other electronic communication while the PA provides care, and the practice agreement must include a continuing evaluation process.
How long must collaboration records be kept in California?
California sets no specific recordkeeping requirement for collaboration records.
Prescribing Rules
PAs in California may prescribe or furnish drugs and devices, including controlled substances, when the practice agreement authorizes it and the PA holds a federal DEA registration. Schedule II authority carries extra conditions, and buprenorphine prescribing has its own restrictions.
Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 3502.1
Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in California?
Yes, when the practice agreement authorizes it and the PA is registered with the federal DEA. The agreement must specify which drugs the PA may furnish or order.
Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in California?
Yes, if the practice agreement authorizes it. For Schedule II, the agreement must also state the illness, injury, or condition for which the PA may furnish the drug, and buprenorphine has additional restrictions.
What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in California?
PAs may furnish or order drugs across the controlled-substance schedules, plus non-controlled drugs, as authorized by the practice agreement. Schedule II carries the extra condition-specific requirement described above.
Does a PA need a DEA license in California?
Yes, a PA needs a federal DEA registration to prescribe or furnish controlled substances. California does not add a separate state-level controlled-substance registration on top of it.
Can a PA prescribe independently (without physician sign-off) in California?
No. A PA’s prescribing authority comes from the practice agreement and the drugs it authorizes, so it is not independent of the supervising physician.
Specialty & Telehealth Requirements
California sets no specialty-specific or telehealth-specific requirement for PAs in its master rules; general PA practice and prescribing rules apply. A PA delivering care by telehealth follows the same practice-agreement and supervision rules that apply in person.
Source: Cal. Bus. & Prof. Code § 3502
Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in California?
No, California sets no specific telehealth or telemedicine requirement for PAs; the standard practice-agreement and supervision rules apply.
Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in California?
No, California sets no specialty-specific requirement for PAs in its master rules.
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