A summary of Indiana’s collaboration, agreement, filing, supervision, prescribing, and specialty rules for NPs and the physicians who collaborate with them.
Collaborating Physician Required? Yes
Physician Involvement: High for prescribing NPs; Low for non-prescribing NPs
Agreement Name: Written practice agreement
On-Site Requirements: No fixed on-site or travel rule
Chart Review: At least a 5% random sample of charts for patients receiving prescriptions, submitted to the physician within 7 days
Controlled Substances: Allowed with an Indiana Controlled Substances Registration (CSR) + federal DEA registration
Reduced Supervision / Transition Requirements: None
Indiana NP Collaboration Requirements Summary
Indiana requires a collaborating physician for nurse practitioners who want to prescribe, but not for NPs who do not prescribe. NPs who prescribe must have a written practice agreement (also called a collaborative practice agreement) with a licensed practitioner; NPs who do not prescribe need no agreement and have low physician involvement. Indiana is a collaborative-practice state for prescribers, with no formal transition period that reduces oversight over time. This page summarizes Indiana’s collaboration, agreement, filing, supervision, prescribing, and specialty rules for NPs and the physicians who collaborate with them.
Source: 848 IAC 5-1-1; IC 25-23-1-19.4
Type of Collaborative Relationship
Indiana requires a collaborating physician only for NPs. Prescribing NPs work under a written practice agreement with a licensed physician and physician involvement is high; NPs who do not prescribe need no agreement and physician involvement is low. Indiana sets no cap on how many NPs a physician may collaborate with and no formal path that reduces oversight with experience.
Source: 848 IAC 5-2-1; IC 25-23-1-19.4
What is an NP’s scope of practice in Indiana?
Indiana NPs may assess, diagnose, and treat patients, and — with prescriptive authority — prescribe drugs, including controlled substances. NPs who wish to prescribe must do so under a written practice agreement with a licensed practitioner.
Do NPs need a collaborating physician in Indiana?
Yes. NPs with prescriptive authority must have a written practice agreement with a licensed physician; NPs who do not prescribe do not need a collaborating agreement.
Can NPs practice independently in Indiana?
No. Non-prescribing NPs need no collaboration agreement, but any NP who wants to prescribe must have a written practice agreement with a collaborating physician.
How many NPs can a physician supervise in Indiana?
Indiana sets no limit. There is no ratio cap on the number of NPs a physician may collaborate with.
Who can be a collaborating physician in Indiana?
Indiana sets no specific qualifications for the collaborating physician. The agreement must be with a licensed practitioner who holds an active, unrestricted license.
Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Indiana?
No fixed on-site or travel requirement. There is no set number of in-person hours or site visits, but the written practice agreement must describe how the NP and physician will maintain geographic proximity.
Collaboration Agreement Requirements
Indiana’s agreement is called a written practice agreement (a collaborative practice agreement). It must include the names, home and business addresses, and phone numbers of the NP and physician; all authorized practice sites; each party’s specialty or board certifications; the specific manner of collaboration, including how they work together, share practice trends and responsibilities, maintain geographic proximity, and cover absences; any limits on the NP’s prescriptive authority; the chart-review arrangement; a list of all other agreements each party holds; and the agreement’s duration. Both the NP and the physician must sign it with original signatures, and Indiana provides a state form cover sheet for the agreement.
Source: 848 IAC 5-1-1(a)(7)
What must be included in an NP collaborative agreement in Indiana?
Contact details for both parties, authorized practice sites, specialty/board certifications, the specific manner of collaboration (including maintaining geographic proximity and covering absences), any prescriptive-authority limits, the chart-review arrangement, a list of all other agreements each party holds, and the agreement’s duration.
What is the collaborative agreement called in Indiana?
It is called a written practice agreement (also referred to as a collaborative practice agreement). Indiana provides a state form cover sheet for the agreement.
Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Indiana?
Both the NP and the collaborating physician. The agreement must carry the original signatures of both parties.
How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in Indiana?
Indiana sets no separate review-frequency requirement. A current, signed and dated agreement must be submitted with each prescriptive-authority renewal.
Is a backup (covering) physician required in Indiana?
No, but a coverage plan is required. A separate backup physician is not required, but the agreement must include a plan for covering absences, incapacity, infirmity, or emergency of both clinicians.
Board Filing Requirements
Indiana requires filing the agreement only when an NP applies for or renews prescriptive authority. The written practice agreement is a required part of the prescriptive-authority application and must be re-submitted at every prescriptive-authority renewal. NPs must also notify the Board immediately of any change to or termination of the agreement.
Source: 848 IAC 5-1-1(a)(7); 848 IAC 5-1-3(e)
Do you have to file the collaborative agreement with the board in Indiana?
Only if the NP is applying for or renewing prescriptive authority. The agreement is a required part of the prescriptive-authority application and must be re-submitted at each renewal.
Can an NP start practicing as soon as they file in Indiana?
Yes, unless it is part of the initial prescriptive-authority application. An agreement filed as part of a first prescriptive-authority application is not valid until the Board grants prescriptive authority.
What are the termination and notice requirements in Indiana?
NPs with prescriptive authority must notify the Board in writing immediately of any change to, or termination of, the agreement, including any change in the collaborating practitioner’s prescriptive authority. An agreement terminates automatically if either party no longer holds an active, unrestricted license.
Collaboration Compliance
Indiana’s ongoing compliance centers on prescription chart review. The physician must review at least a 5% random sample of charts for patients who receive prescriptions, and the NP must submit that documentation to the physician within 7 days.
Source: 848 IAC 5-1-1(a)(7)(F)
How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Indiana?
At least a 5% random sample of charts for patients receiving prescriptions. The NP must submit this documentation to the physician within 7 days.
How often must an NP and collaborating physician meet in Indiana?
Indiana sets no required meeting cadence. There is no mandated schedule for meetings between the NP and physician.
How long must collaboration records be kept in Indiana?
Indiana sets no specific record-retention period for collaboration records.
Prescribing Rules
Indiana NPs may prescribe drugs, including controlled substances, once the Board grants prescriptive authority under a written practice agreement. To prescribe controlled substances, an NP must obtain both an Indiana Controlled Substances Registration (CSR) and a federal DEA registration, and must use an Indiana practice address when applying for the CSR. Indiana provides opioid-prescribing guidelines and best practices.
Source: 848 IAC 5-1-1(d); 848 IAC 5-4
Can an NP prescribe controlled substances in Indiana?
Yes, with prescriptive authority plus both credentials. An NP must hold an Indiana Controlled Substances Registration (CSR) and a federal DEA registration, and must use an Indiana practice address when applying for the CSR.
Can an NP prescribe Schedule II drugs in Indiana?
Yes. Indiana authorizes NPs with prescriptive authority and the required CSR and federal DEA registration to prescribe controlled substances, and does not carve Schedule II out separately.
What schedule drugs can an NP prescribe in Indiana?
Legend (prescription) drugs and controlled substances. An NP with prescriptive authority may prescribe legend drugs, and — with a CSR and federal DEA registration — controlled substances, subject to any limits stated in the written practice agreement.
Does an NP need a DEA license in Indiana?
Yes, to prescribe controlled substances. Indiana explicitly requires a federal DEA registration in addition to the Indiana Controlled Substances Registration (CSR).
Can an NP prescribe independently (without physician sign-off) in Indiana?
No. An NP may prescribe only under a written practice agreement with a licensed practitioner, and only within any prescriptive-authority limits set in that agreement.
Specialty & Telehealth Requirements
Indiana sets no telehealth-specific or specialty-specific collaboration requirements for NPs.
Source: 848 IAC 5-1-1(c)
Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for NPs in Indiana?
Indiana sets no NP-specific telehealth collaboration requirement.
Are there specialty-specific requirements for NPs in Indiana?
Indiana sets no specialty-specific collaboration requirement for NPs.
How do you verify a collaborating physician’s license in Indiana?
Confirm the practitioner holds an active, unrestricted Indiana license. This matters because the written practice agreement terminates automatically if either party no longer holds an active, unrestricted license.
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