Minnesota PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

Minnesota requires a PA to work under a collaborative agreement with a physician until the PA completes 2,080 hours of practice, after which the collaborative agreement is no longer required. Physician involvement is low even before that point — no on-site presence, no chart review, no required meetings — as long as the collaborating physician and PA can easily reach each other by phone or other technology. What does not go away is the practice agreement: every PA must have one at the practice level describing their practice, and a physician with knowledge of that practice must review it annually. Nothing is filed with the board except the affidavit of collaboration confirming the 2,080 hours. This page covers Minnesota’s rules on the collaborative relationship, the collaborative and practice agreements, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: Minn. Stat. 147A.01(6a)

Type of Collaborative Relationship

Minnesota requires a collaborative agreement with a physician for a PA’s first 2,080 hours of practice, and physician involvement is low throughout. A collaborating physician oversees the PA’s performance, practice, and activities under that agreement, but does not have to be physically present so long as the two can easily reach each other by radio, telephone, or other technology. Once the hours are complete, the collaborative agreement requirement ends. Every PA still needs a practice agreement at the practice level, reviewed annually by a physician, and spinal injections for pain always require collaboration regardless of experience.

Source: Minn. Stat. 147A.02(c)

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

A PA’s scope in Minnesota is described in the practice agreement, which the Board characterizes as a comprehensive job description outlining the PA’s intended practice in that specific clinical setting. Where a collaborative agreement applies, it separately designates the scope of collaboration necessary to manage patient care.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in Minnesota?

Yes, for the first 2,080 hours of practice. Those hours must be completed under a collaborative agreement, within a hospital or integrated clinical setting where PAs and physicians work together to provide patient care.

Can PAs practice independently in Minnesota?

Yes, after completing 2,080 hours of practice under a collaborative agreement. A practice agreement is still required at the practice level and must be reviewed annually by a physician, and spinal injections for acute and chronic pain still require referral and collaboration with a physician.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in Minnesota?

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

Who can be a collaborating physician in Minnesota?

A Minnesota-licensed physician who oversees the PA’s performance, practice, and activities under a collaborative agreement. Specialty experience matters: the PA and one of the collaborating physicians must have experience providing care to patients with the same or similar medical conditions.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Minnesota?

No, Minnesota sets no distance, travel, or on-site presence requirement. Under a collaborative agreement, the collaborating physician is not required to be physically present as long as the physician and the PA are, or can easily be, in contact with each other by radio, telephone, or other telecommunication device.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

Minnesota has two written documents. A collaborative agreement is a mutually agreed plan for the overall working relationship between a PA and one or more physicians that designates the scope of collaboration needed to manage patient care. A practice agreement sits at the practice level and describes the PA’s practice — the Board describes it as a comprehensive job description for that specific clinical setting. Minnesota provides no template, requires no signatures, requires no backup physician, and sets no on-site storage rule, but the practice agreement must be reviewed every year.

Source: Minn. Stat. 147A.09(3)

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

A collaborative agreement must describe the overall working relationship between the PA and one or more physicians and designate the scope of collaboration necessary to manage patient care. A practice agreement must describe the practice of the PA, outlining their intended practice in that specific clinical setting. Minnesota provides no state template for either.

What is the collaborative agreement called in Minnesota?

It is called a collaborative agreement. The separate document every PA maintains at the practice level is called a practice agreement.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Minnesota?

Minnesota sets no signature requirement for either agreement. A collaborative agreement is described as a mutually agreed upon plan between the PA and one or more physicians.

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

The practice agreement must be reviewed annually. That review is done by a licensed physician within the same clinic, hospital, health system, or other facility as the PA who has knowledge of the PA’s practice, and it confirms that the PA’s medical practice is consistent with the practice agreement.

Is a backup physician required in Minnesota?

No, Minnesota sets no backup or alternate physician requirement.

Board Filing Requirements

Minnesota requires no board filing for the collaborative or practice agreement. Neither document is submitted to the board, there is no recurring filing, and no notice is required when a relationship ends. The one board submission is the affidavit of collaboration, which a PA files at the time of license application if the 2,080 hours are not yet complete, and resubmits once they are.

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

No. Neither the collaborative agreement nor the practice agreement is filed with the board, and no additional documents are required for the relationship itself. The affidavit of collaboration is separate and relates to the 2,080-hour requirement.

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

There is nothing to file for the collaborative relationship, so no waiting period applies. A PA needs a Minnesota license, a collaborative agreement until the 2,080 hours are complete, and a practice agreement at the practice level.

What are the termination and notice requirements in Minnesota?

Minnesota sets no termination or notice requirement when a collaborative relationship ends. There is also no grace period provision for an unexpected termination.

Collaboration Compliance

Minnesota’s only recurring obligation is the annual practice agreement review. A licensed physician within the same clinic, hospital, health system, or other facility as the PA, who has knowledge of the PA’s practice, must review the practice agreement each year to confirm the PA’s medical practice is consistent with it, and a document stating the review occurred must be kept at the practice level. Minnesota sets no chart review count, no meeting cadence, no chart co-signature requirement, and no records retention period.

Source: Minn. Stat. 147A.09(3)

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Minnesota?

None — Minnesota requires no chart review. There is no chart co-signature requirement either. The annual review looks at whether the PA’s practice is consistent with the practice agreement rather than at individual patient records.

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

Minnesota sets no required meeting cadence. The practice agreement must be reviewed annually by a physician with knowledge of the PA’s practice, and under a collaborative agreement the physician and PA must be able to reach each other easily by radio, telephone, or other technology.

How long must collaboration records be kept in Minnesota?

Minnesota sets no retention period for collaboration records. A document stating that the annual practice agreement review occurred must be maintained at the practice level and made available to the board on request.

Prescribing Rules

PAs in Minnesota must comply with federal DEA requirements related to controlled substances, and Minnesota adds nothing on top of that. There is no state controlled-substance registration, no additional credential for prescriptive authority, no heightened oversight for controlled substances, and no prescription form requirements. Minnesota’s master regulatory data does not break prescribing authority down by drug schedule.

Source: Minn. Stat. 147A.185(2)(a)(1)

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in Minnesota?

Yes, provided the PA complies with federal DEA requirements related to controlled substances. Minnesota requires no state controlled-substance registration and adds no heightened supervision requirement specific to controlled substances.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in Minnesota?

Minnesota’s master regulatory data does not address drug schedules individually. It points to federal DEA requirements for controlled substances rather than setting its own schedule limits.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in Minnesota?

Minnesota’s master regulatory data sets no schedule-by-schedule limits on PA prescribing. Federal DEA requirements govern controlled substances, and prescribing otherwise sits within the practice described in the PA’s practice agreement.

Does a PA need a DEA license in Minnesota?

Minnesota requires PAs to comply with federal DEA requirements related to controlled substances and imposes no separate state registration. Minnesota also sets no prescription form or prescription pad requirements.

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

Minnesota requires no physician sign-off, co-signature, or prescription-level review. Prescribing sits within the practice described in the practice agreement, and within the scope of collaboration where a collaborative agreement still applies.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

Minnesota sets no telehealth-specific requirements for PAs but does carve out one procedure permanently. Spinal injections to address acute and chronic pain symptoms always require referral and collaboration with a physician, no matter how many hours the PA has completed.

Source: Minn. Stat. 147A.09(4)

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in Minnesota?

Minnesota sets no telehealth-specific requirement for PAs in the master regulatory data. Minnesota also sets no in-person or proximity requirement that telehealth would need an exemption from, and contact by telephone or other telecommunication satisfies the collaborative agreement availability standard.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in Minnesota?

Yes, spinal injections for pain carry a permanent collaboration requirement. A PA may perform spinal injections to address acute and chronic pain symptoms only upon referral and in collaboration with a physician, and the PA and one or more physicians must have a mutually agreed plan designating the scope of collaboration for treating patients with acute and chronic pain.