A summary of Louisiana’s collaboration, agreement, filing, supervision, prescribing, and specialty rules for NPs and the physicians who collaborate with them.
Collaborating Physician Required? Yes, to prescribe medications
Physician Involvement: Low
Agreement Name: Collaborative practice agreement
On-Site Requirements: None; but the collaborating physician must actively provide direct patient care in Louisiana.
Chart Review: Not required
Controlled Substances: Allowed
Reduced Supervision / Transition Requirements: None
Louisiana NP Collaboration Requirements Summary
Louisiana nurse practitioners must have a collaborating physician in order to prescribe, and the state offers no pathway to fully independent practice. Louisiana ties collaboration to prescriptive authority: the NP practices under a collaborative practice agreement on a required board form with a physician who is actively providing direct patient care in Louisiana. Physician involvement is light — availability for consultation or referral and an annually reviewed agreement — with no meeting, chart-review, or on-site requirement.
Source: La. Admin. Code 46-XLVII-4513
Type of Collaborative Relationship
Louisiana NPs must have a collaborating physician to prescribe, and there is no pathway to fully independent practice. The physician’s involvement is low — they must be available for consultation or referral and sign an annually reviewed agreement — but there is no ratio limit, meeting cadence, on-site presence rule, or chart-review requirement. The collaborating physician must be actively providing direct patient care in Louisiana.
Source: La. Admin. Code 46-XLVII-4505
What is an NP’s scope of practice in Louisiana?
Louisiana NPs (advanced practice registered nurses) may medically diagnose and manage patients and, with board-approved prescriptive authority, prescribe drugs and devices within their specialty and the parameters of their collaborative practice agreement. A collaborating physician is required specifically for prescribing.
Do NPs need a collaborating physician in Louisiana?
Yes, to prescribe. Louisiana NPs must have a board-approved collaborative practice agreement with a physician in order to hold prescriptive authority; there is no independent-practice option.
Can NPs practice independently in Louisiana?
No, Louisiana has no independent practice pathway.
How many NPs can a physician supervise in Louisiana?
No limit. Louisiana sets no cap on how many NPs a physician may collaborate with. Separately, an NP may list no more than two collaborating physicians per practice site.
Who can be a collaborating physician in Louisiana?
A physician who holds a current, valid Louisiana medical license, is actively providing direct patient care in Louisiana, and practices in the same or a comparable scope, specialty, or expertise as the NP. Retired physicians are not eligible.
Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Louisiana?
No, Louisiana sets no geographic or on-site presence requirement, and collaboration may be remote. The collaborating physician must, however, be actively providing direct patient care within Louisiana and available for consultation by phone or direct telecommunication.
Collaboration Agreement Requirements
Louisiana’s agreement is called a collaborative practice agreement and is required for prescribing. It must set out, among other things, the physician’s availability for consultation or referral, methods for managing the collaboration (including clinical practice guidelines), a coverage plan for patient needs during any absence, a plan of accountability defining the NP’s prescriptive authority, and clinical practice guidelines listing the categories or schedules of drugs the NP may prescribe. The NP, the collaborating physician, and any backup collaborating physicians must sign it; it must be kept on site; and it must be reviewed and signed at least annually.
Source: La. Admin. Code 46-XLVII-4513
What must be included in an NP collaborative agreement in Louisiana?
It must include, among other items, the collaborating physician’s availability for consultation or referral; methods for managing the collaboration, including clinical practice guidelines; a coverage plan for patient care during any absence; a plan of accountability defining the NP’s prescriptive authority; and clinical practice guidelines documenting the categories or schedules of drugs the NP may prescribe. Louisiana requires the board’s form and template to be used.
What is the collaborative agreement called in Louisiana?
It is called a collaborative practice agreement.
Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Louisiana?
The NP, the collaborating physician, and any backup (alternate) collaborating physicians must sign it.
How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in Louisiana?
At least annually. For prescribing, the agreement’s clinical practice guidelines must be reviewed and signed at least once a year by the NP and the physician to reflect current practice.
Is a backup physician required in Louisiana?
No, a backup physician is not required, but conditions apply if one is used. If a sole collaborating physician becomes unavailable for unpredictable or involuntary reasons (such as death, disability, or unplanned relocation), an alternate collaborating physician may serve for at least 30 but no more than 120 days, and the NP must notify the board in writing within two business days.
Board Filing Requirements
Louisiana does not require the collaborative practice agreement itself to be filed, but it does require board approval before an NP can prescribe with a given collaborating physician. The NP submits an Attestation of APRN Collaborative Practice (with the prescriptive-authority application) and must obtain the board’s written approval of the collaborating physician before clinical practice; the signed agreement is kept on site rather than filed. Changes — including adding or deleting a collaborating physician — must be reported to the board within 30 days.
Source: La. Admin. Code 46-XLVII-4513(D)(8)
Do you have to file the collaborative agreement with the board in Louisiana?
No, the agreement itself is not filed. Instead, the NP submits an Attestation of APRN Collaborative Practice to notify the board of the collaborating relationship and must obtain the board’s written approval of the collaborating physician before practicing.
Can an NP start practicing as soon as they file in Louisiana?
No, the collaborating physician must be approved by the board first. The NP is responsible for obtaining written approval from the board for each collaborating physician before clinical practice begins.
What are the termination and notice requirements in Louisiana?
The NP must notify the board in writing, requesting approval, of any change to collaborating physicians or practice sites — including adding or deleting a collaborating physician — within 30 days. If a sole collaborating physician is lost unexpectedly and an alternate steps in, the NP must notify the board within two business days.
Collaboration Compliance
Louisiana sets no meeting cadence, chart-review count, chart co-signing, or documentation requirement for ongoing collaboration. The main ongoing obligation is availability: the collaborating physician must be reachable for consultation, help with medical emergencies, or referral — face-to-face, by phone, or by direct telecommunication — as spelled out in the agreement, which must be reviewed and signed annually.
Source: La. Admin. Code 46-XLVII-4513(D)(1)(f)(iii)
How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Louisiana?
No fixed number. Louisiana does not require chart review or chart co-signing.
How often must an NP and collaborating physician meet in Louisiana?
No set cadence. Louisiana does not require scheduled meetings. The collaborating physician must simply be available for consultation, emergencies, or referral as described in the agreement.
How long must collaboration records be kept in Louisiana?
Louisiana sets no specific retention period for collaboration records, but the signed agreement must be retained on site at all times while the collaboration is in effect.
Prescribing Rules
Louisiana NPs may prescribe drugs and devices once the board approves their prescriptive authority, within their clinical practice guidelines and the agreement. Controlled-substance prescribing requires separate board authorization, a Louisiana Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) license, a federal DEA registration, and three hours of board-approved continuing education; NPs may not prescribe controlled substances for obesity or for chronic or intractable pain.
Source: La. Admin. Code 46-XLVII-4513(D)(2)
Can an NP prescribe controlled substances in Louisiana?
Yes, with board authorization and the right credentials. An NP must be separately authorized by the board and hold both a Louisiana Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) license and a federal DEA registration, plus complete three hours of board-approved CE on controlled-substance prescribing. NPs may not prescribe controlled substances for obesity or for chronic or intractable pain.
Can an NP prescribe Schedule II drugs in Louisiana?
Louisiana’s rules do not set a Schedule II–specific rule. An authorized NP may prescribe controlled substances across the schedules defined in federal and state law on an individual-practice basis, with the exact schedules set by board approval and the agreement’s clinical practice guidelines, and never for obesity or chronic/intractable pain.
What schedule drugs can an NP prescribe in Louisiana?
Approved NPs may prescribe drugs and devices per their clinical practice guidelines and, with controlled-substance authorization, controlled substances across the schedules defined in federal and state law on an individual-practice basis. The specific schedules are set by board approval and the agreement’s clinical practice guidelines; controlled substances may not be prescribed for obesity or chronic/intractable pain.
Does an NP need a DEA license in Louisiana?
Yes, to prescribe controlled substances. An NP authorized to prescribe controlled substances must hold both an active Louisiana Controlled Dangerous Substance (CDS) license and a federal DEA registration.
Can an NP prescribe independently in Louisiana?
No, Louisiana requires a collaborative practice agreement for prescriptive authority. The board must approve the NP’s prescriptive authority and collaborating physician, though the physician does not co-sign individual prescriptions.
Specialty & Telehealth Requirements
Louisiana sets no specialty-specific or telehealth-specific collaboration requirements. Telehealth collaboration is allowed, provided the collaborating physician is actively providing direct patient care in Louisiana.
Source: La. Admin. Code 46-XLVII-4505
Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for NPs in Louisiana?
Louisiana sets no specific telehealth collaboration rules. Louisiana allows collaboration to be conducted remotely and permits telehealth, as long as the collaborating physician is actively providing direct patient care in Louisiana.
Are there specialty-specific requirements for NPs in Louisiana?
No, Louisiana sets no specialty-specific requirements. The collaborating physician must practice in the same or a comparable scope, specialty, or expertise as the NP.
Zivian gives you complete, real-time regulatory intelligence for NPs and PAs. Get step-by-step board-filing workflows, compliance and quality assurance tracking, and automatic alerts across all 50 states.
