Maine PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

Maine requires a PA to have a collaborative agreement with a physician, submitted to the Board for approval, until the PA documents 4,000 hours of clinical practice. Physician involvement is low throughout — no on-site presence, no chart review, no required meetings — but a physician must be accessible for consultation at all times, and the PA is legally liable for the medical services they render. Once the 4,000 hours are documented, a PA working for a health care facility or a practice with a physician partner needs no agreement at all. The exception is a PA who is the principal clinical provider in a practice: they always need a practice agreement with a physician who will be available for collaboration or consultation. This page covers Maine’s rules on the collaborative relationship, the collaborative and practice agreements, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: Me. Rev. Stat. tit 32 48-3270-G(1)(A)

Type of Collaborative Relationship

Maine requires a collaborative agreement with a physician until a PA documents 4,000 hours of clinical practice, after which most PAs no longer need one. Physician involvement is low even before that point: the physician’s role is availability for consultation rather than oversight, and Maine states that the PA is legally liable for any medical service the PA renders. The route out is real independence for PAs employed by a health care facility or a practice that includes a physician partner. A PA who is the principal clinical provider in a practice never reaches full independence and must keep a practice agreement in place. Note that Maine’s statute refers to the profession as physician associates; the requirements are the same.

Source: 02-373 CMR Ch.2 6(8)(C)

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

A PA’s scope in Maine is described in the collaborative or practice agreement and is determined by the practice setting. The agreement must set out the PA’s scope of practice and practice setting, including the types of patients and patient encounters common to the practice, a general overview of the PA’s role there, and any tasks the PA may delegate to medical assistants.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in Maine?

Yes, until 4,000 hours of clinical practice are documented with the Board. After that, a PA employed by a health care facility or by a practice that includes a physician partner is not required to have a collaborative agreement or a practice agreement, whether or not that setting has a credentialing and privileging system.

Can PAs practice independently in Maine?

Yes, once the PA documents 4,000 hours of clinical practice and works in a health care facility or a practice that includes a physician partner. The exception is a PA who is the principal clinical provider in a practice — that PA must have a practice agreement with a physician who will be available for collaboration or consultation.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in Maine?

Maine sets no limit on the number of PAs a physician may collaborate with.

Who can be a collaborating physician in Maine?

A physician licensed by the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine or the Maine Board of Osteopathic Licensure. A physician who signs a collaborative or practice agreement may provide consultation only within their own scope of practice, and must be available for consultation with the PA at all times and for all medical services the PA renders.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Maine?

No, Maine sets no distance, travel, or on-site presence requirement. The requirement is availability: a physician must be accessible to the PA at all times for consultation, and that consultation may occur electronically or through telecommunication.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

Maine has two written agreements. A collaborative agreement is between a PA and a physician and describes the PA’s scope of practice as determined by the practice setting, along with the decision-making process for the health care team. A practice agreement applies where the PA is the principal clinical provider in a practice, and states that the physician will be available for collaboration or consultation. Both must cover the same four minimum elements, both are agreed to by the PA and the physician, and both must be kept at the main place of practice and produced to the Board on request. Maine provides a state form.

Source: 02-373 CMR Ch.2 7

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

Four things at minimum: the PA’s scope of practice and practice setting, including common patient types and encounters, an overview of the PA’s role, and any tasks delegated to medical assistants; identification of every active Maine physician who is a signatory; the methods of consultation with those physicians plus any limitations on their ability to consult, whether by scope of practice or availability; and provisions for maintaining and producing the agreement. The same minimum content applies to both collaborative agreements and practice agreements.

What is the collaborative agreement called in Maine?

It is called a collaborative agreement — or a practice agreement where the PA is the principal clinical provider in a practice. Maine’s rules also refer to a scope of practice agreement where appropriate.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Maine?

Maine’s rules do not set an explicit signature requirement, but the agreement must be agreed to by the PA and the physician, and the agreement must identify every active Maine physician who is a signatory.

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

Maine sets no fixed review or renewal schedule. Any change to a collaborative or practice agreement must be reported to the Board in writing within 10 calendar days, with a revised agreement submitted for review and approval.

Is a backup physician required in Maine?

No, Maine sets no backup or alternate physician requirement. The agreement must identify any limitations on a signatory physician’s availability to consult.

Board Filing Requirements

Maine requires the collaborative agreement, or where applicable the scope of practice agreement or practice agreement, to be submitted to the Board for approval. This is one of the few jurisdictions where approval, not just receipt, is the gate: a PA cannot practice on the strength of submission alone. Changes and terminations both carry 10-day written notice deadlines, and the agreement must also be kept at the main location of practice.

Source: Me. Rev. Stat. tit 32 48-3270-G(5),(6)

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

Yes, and it must be approved. A PA submits the collaborative agreement, or the scope of practice agreement or practice agreement where appropriate, to the Board for approval. A copy must also be kept on file at the main location of the place of practice and made available to the Board or its representative on request.

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

No — the agreement must be submitted to the Board for approval, not simply filed.

What are the termination and notice requirements in Maine?

A PA must notify the Board in writing within 10 calendar days of the termination of any collaborative or practice agreement, including the reason for the termination. The same 10-day deadline applies to the death or permanent or long-term departure of a collaborating physician who is a signatory to either agreement. Maine provides no grace period allowing continued practice after an unexpected termination.

Collaboration Compliance

Maine’s only ongoing obligation is availability. A physician must be accessible to the PA at all times for consultation, and that consultation may happen electronically or through telecommunication — Maine defines it to include communication, task sharing, and education among all members of a health care team. There is no chart review requirement, no meeting cadence, no chart co-signature requirement, no supervision documentation, and no records retention period.

Source: 02-373 CMR Ch.2 6(3)

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Maine?

None — Maine requires no chart review. There is no chart co-signature requirement and no supervision documentation requirement either.

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

Maine sets no required meeting cadence. A physician must be accessible to the PA at all times for consultation, which may occur electronically or through telecommunication.

How long must collaboration records be kept in Maine?

Maine sets no retention period for collaboration records. The collaborative or practice agreement must be kept on file at the main location of the place of practice and made available to the Board or its representative on request.

Prescribing Rules

Maine’s master regulatory data records no state-specific prescribing requirements for PAs. There is no state controlled-substance registration, no additional credential for prescriptive authority, no separate conditions on controlled-substance prescribing, and no prescription form requirements. What a PA may prescribe follows from the scope of practice described in the collaborative or practice agreement, as determined by the practice setting.

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in Maine?

Maine’s master regulatory data sets no additional state requirements for PA controlled-substance prescribing. There is no extra credential, no state registration, and no heightened oversight requirement tied to controlled substances.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in Maine?

Maine’s master regulatory data does not address drug schedules individually for PAs. Prescribing follows from the scope of practice described in the collaborative or practice agreement.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in Maine?

Maine’s master regulatory data sets no schedule-by-schedule limits on PA prescribing.

Does a PA need a DEA license in Maine?

Maine imposes no state controlled-substance registration requirement on PAs. Federal DEA registration requirements apply independently of state law and are not addressed in Maine’s rules. Maine sets no prescription form or prescription pad requirements.

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

Maine requires no physician sign-off, co-signature, or prescription-level review. Prescribing must stay within the scope of practice described in the collaborative or practice agreement, where one is required.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

Maine’s master regulatory data does not address telehealth-specific or specialty-specific requirements for PAs. Technology is built into the general rules: consultation between a PA and a physician may occur electronically or through telecommunication.

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in Maine?

Maine sets no telehealth-specific requirement for PAs in the master regulatory data. Maine also sets no in-person or proximity requirement that telehealth would need an exemption from, and consultation may take place electronically or by telecommunication.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in Maine?

Maine sets no specialty-specific requirements for PAs in the master regulatory data. Specialty does bound consultation: a signatory physician may provide consultation only within their own scope of practice, and any such limitation must be identified in the agreement.