Michigan PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

Michigan requires every PA to have a written practice agreement with a participating physician, but it is one of the lighter-touch states once that agreement is in place. There is no meeting cadence, no chart review requirement, no availability standard, and no on-site or proximity rule — and Michigan goes a step further by expressly stating that a physician does not have to countersign the PA’s orders. Nothing is filed with the Board at any point, so there is no waiting period and no termination notice. What the state does regulate closely is the agreement itself, which must cover communication and decision-making, name a protocol for backup consultation, and allow either party to walk away on 30 days’ written notice. This page covers Michigan’s rules on collaboration, the practice agreement, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: MCL § 333.17047

Type of Collaborative Relationship

Michigan requires PAs to work under a written practice agreement with a participating physician, and there is no route to independent practice. Involvement is low by design: once the agreement is in place, Michigan sets no meeting, review, or availability requirements, and leaves the working relationship to what the two clinicians wrote down. A PA’s authority is the duties and responsibilities named in that agreement, and Michigan puts no numerical cap on how many PAs one physician may work with.

Source: MCL § 333.17047(2)(e)

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

A PA’s scope of practice is the set of duties and responsibilities written into the practice agreement. Those duties must fall within the scope of both the PA’s and the participating physician’s licenses. The agreement cannot assign either clinician an act, task, or function they are not qualified to perform by education, training, or experience.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in Michigan?

Yes. Every PA must have a written practice agreement with a participating physician. Michigan uses the term participating physician rather than supervising physician.

Can PAs practice independently in Michigan?

No. A practice agreement with a participating physician is required, and Michigan offers no transition pathway to independent practice. The relationship is light in practice, though — Michigan sets no meeting, chart review, or availability requirements once the agreement exists.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in Michigan?

Michigan sets no numerical limit. The number is still bounded by the physician’s general duty of care: negligent delegation to, or supervision of, others is a ground for discipline, so the number of PAs must not reach the point of negligence.

Who can be a collaborating physician in Michigan?

The participating physician must be licensed or otherwise authorized to practice medicine in Michigan. Michigan sets no additional qualification requirement and no requirement that the physician practice in the same specialty as the PA.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Michigan?

No — Michigan sets no geographic, travel, or on-site presence requirement, and no availability standard. The practice agreement must include a process for communication, availability, and decision-making between the PA and the participating physician when providing medical treatment, and that process must draw on both clinicians’ education, training, and experience.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

Michigan’s written agreement is called a practice agreement, and the state provides a sample template. Both the PA and the participating physician sign it. Michigan does not require it to be kept on-site and sets no review or renewal schedule, but the agreement itself must allow either party to terminate on at least 30 days’ written notice.

Source: MCL § 333.17047(2)

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

The practice agreement must include a process for communication, availability, and decision-making between the two clinicians, a protocol for designating an alternative physician for consultation when the participating physician is unavailable, both signatures, and a termination provision allowing either party to end the agreement on at least 30 days’ written notice. It must also set out the duties and responsibilities of both the PA and the participating physician, and require the physician to verify the PA’s credentials. Those duties cannot include anything either clinician is unqualified to perform or that falls outside their license.

What is the collaborative agreement called in Michigan?

It is called a practice agreement. Michigan provides a sample template.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Michigan?

The PA and the participating physician must both sign.

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

Michigan sets no specific review or renewal requirement. The agreement must, however, contain a termination provision letting either the PA or the participating physician end it by giving written notice at least 30 days before the termination date.

Is a backup physician required in Michigan?

Not a named one — but a protocol for designating one is required. The practice agreement must include a protocol for designating an alternative physician for consultation in situations where the participating physician is not available. Michigan does not require that a specific alternative physician be identified in advance.

Board Filing Requirements

Michigan requires no board filing for PAs at any stage. The practice agreement is not submitted, no supplemental documents are required, there is no recurring filing, and no notice is owed to the Board when a collaboration ends. The only notice obligation runs between the PA and the physician, through the agreement’s 30-day termination provision.

Source: MCL § 333.17047 (sets out the complete practice agreement requirements; Michigan imposes no board filing obligation)

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

No. The practice agreement is not filed with the Board, and Michigan requires no additional documents to be filed either before or during practice.

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

There is no filing step in Michigan, so there is no waiting period tied to one. A licensed PA may practice once a signed practice agreement is in place.

What are the termination and notice requirements in Michigan?

Michigan requires no notice to the Board when a practice agreement ends. The agreement itself must let either party terminate by giving at least 30 days’ written notice to the other. Michigan provides no grace period allowing a PA to keep practicing if the participating physician unexpectedly becomes unavailable.

Collaboration Compliance

Michigan imposes almost no ongoing compliance obligations once a practice agreement is signed. There is no meeting cadence, no chart review requirement, no availability standard, and no documentation or retention rule. Michigan is also explicit that a physician does not have to countersign the PA’s orders — what governs day to day is the communication and decision-making process the two clinicians built into their agreement.

Source: MCL § 333.17049(2)

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Michigan?

None — Michigan sets no chart review requirement. Michigan also states expressly that a physician is not required to countersign orders a PA writes in a patient’s clinical record, or to sign an official form listing the physician as the required signatory when a PA with a practice agreement has signed it.

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

Michigan sets no specific meeting requirement and no availability standard. The practice agreement must spell out the process the two will use for communication, availability, and decision-making when treating patients.

How long must collaboration records be kept in Michigan?

Michigan sets no specific retention period and no supervision documentation requirement. The practice agreement itself is not required to be kept on-site.

Prescribing Rules

PAs in Michigan may prescribe, and Michigan adds no extra requirements for general prescriptive authority. Controlled substances are the exception: a PA needs a separate Michigan controlled substance license in addition to federal DEA registration, and Michigan requires the state license to be obtained first. PAs must also register with the Michigan Automated Prescription System, and prescriptions a PA writes must carry that PA’s own name and DEA registration number.

Source: Michigan Board of Medicine PA licensing requirements and Board FAQs

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in Michigan?

Yes, with a Michigan controlled substance license and federal DEA registration. The Michigan controlled substance license must be obtained before the DEA registration. PAs who hold both must register with the Michigan Automated Prescription System; PAs who hold neither register instead as a delegate of the physician they have a practice agreement with.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in Michigan?

Yes — Michigan’s PA rules set no schedule-based restriction on what PAs may prescribe. A PA’s controlled substance prescribing is bounded by their Michigan controlled substance license and their DEA registration rather than by a PA-specific schedule limit.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in Michigan?

Michigan does not set a PA-specific schedule list. Prescribing follows the PA’s Michigan controlled substance license and federal DEA registration, and Michigan adds no further requirements for prescriptive authority and no special prescription pad rules.

Does a PA need a DEA license in Michigan?

Yes, federal DEA registration is required to prescribe controlled substances — and Michigan requires the state controlled substance license to come first. When a PA writes a prescription, the PA’s own name and DEA registration number must be used and recorded with it.

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

A PA must have a practice agreement in place, but Michigan does not require physician sign-off on prescriptions. Countersignature of a PA’s orders is expressly not required, prescriptions carry the PA’s own name and DEA number, and Michigan sets no heightened requirement for controlled substances. Prescribing still has to fall within the duties written into the practice agreement.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

Michigan sets no telehealth-specific or specialty-specific requirements for PAs. The standard practice agreement, compliance, and prescribing rules apply the same way regardless of specialty or how care is delivered.

Source: MCL § 333.17001 et seq. (Michigan’s PA provisions contain no specialty- or telehealth-specific rule)

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in Michigan?

No — Michigan sets no specific telehealth or telemedicine requirement for PAs. Because there is no on-site, proximity, or availability requirement to begin with, no telehealth exemption is needed.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in Michigan?

No — Michigan sets no specialty-specific requirement for PAs, and no requirement that the participating physician practice in the same specialty. The duties written into the practice agreement must still fall within both clinicians’ licenses and qualifications.