Nebraska PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

Nebraska requires every PA to have at least one supervising physician under a collaborative agreement, and at least one for each specialty area if the employer is a multispecialty practice. Physician involvement is standard: no on-site presence, no required meetings, and no chart review, but the physician must be readily available for consultation and collaboration, and the physician or physician group is liable for a PA’s negligent acts or omissions while the PA is under their supervision. Nothing is filed with the board — instead the agreement is kept at the physician’s primary practice site and at each site where the PA works. A PA’s practice is bounded by what falls within the supervising physician’s own scope of practice. This page covers Nebraska’s rules on the collaborative relationship, the collaborative agreement, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2017

Type of Collaborative Relationship

Nebraska requires a PA to have at least one supervising physician per employer, working under a collaborative agreement. Physician involvement is standard — the requirement is ready availability for consultation and collaboration rather than presence or record review — and the physician or physician group is liable for a PA’s negligent acts or omissions performed under their supervision. There is no path to reduced supervision or independent practice in Nebraska; the requirements are the same at every experience level.

Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2047(1)

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

A PA in Nebraska may perform medical services that form a component of the supervising physician’s own scope of practice. A PA may also perform services within the scope of practice of another qualifying physician in the same physician group, if that physician delegates them and the work happens under that physician’s supervision and collaboration. The collaborative agreement must identify the PA’s scope of practice.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in Nebraska?

Yes — at least one supervising physician for each employer. If the employer is a multispecialty practice, the PA must have a supervising physician for each specialty practice area in which the PA performs medical services.

Can PAs practice independently in Nebraska?

No. A collaborative agreement with a supervising physician is required, the PA’s services must fall within that physician’s scope of practice, and Nebraska sets no experience threshold that leads to reduced supervision or independence.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in Nebraska?

Four at any one time. A physician may apply to the Board for a waiver of that limit; in weighing good cause, the Board considers factors including the type of practice setting, the experience of the PAs, the physician’s own experience working with PAs, and the general level of patient problem complexity.

Who can be a collaborating physician in Nebraska?

A licensed physician who supervises the PA under a collaborative agreement. Nebraska sets no additional experience or continuing education requirement, but specialty matters in practice: the PA’s services must form a component of that physician’s scope of practice, and a multispecialty employer requires a supervising physician for each specialty area the PA works in.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Nebraska?

No, Nebraska sets no distance, travel, or on-site presence requirement. Supervision is defined as the ready availability of the supervising physician for consultation and collaboration on the PA’s activities.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

Nebraska’s written agreement is called a collaborative agreement, and the state sets no explicit list of required contents. What the statute does require is that the PA and the supervising physician jointly ensure four things: that the PA’s scope of practice is identified, that delegated medical tasks suit the PA’s education, experience, and training, that the PA’s relationship with and access to the supervising physician is defined, and that a process for evaluating the PA’s performance is established. There is no state template, no stated signature requirement, and no review or renewal schedule, but the agreement must be kept on site.

Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2047(3)

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

Nebraska sets no explicit content list, but four things must be addressed: the PA’s identified scope of practice, delegation of medical tasks appropriate to the PA’s education, experience, and training, the PA’s relationship with and access to the supervising physician, and a process for evaluating the PA’s performance. Responsibility for ensuring those elements are covered falls on the PA and the supervising physician jointly. Nebraska provides no state template.

What is the collaborative agreement called in Nebraska?

It is called a collaborative agreement.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Nebraska?

Nebraska’s rules do not state who must sign the collaborative agreement. Both the PA and the supervising physician are responsible for ensuring the agreement covers the required elements.

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

Nebraska’s rules set no review or renewal schedule for the collaborative agreement.

Is a backup physician required in Nebraska?

No, Nebraska sets no backup or alternate physician requirement.

Board Filing Requirements

Nebraska requires no board filing for the collaborative relationship. The collaborative agreement is not submitted to the board; instead the supervising physician keeps it on file at their primary practice site, keeps a copy at each practice site where the PA provides medical services, and produces it to the board or the department on request. There is no recurring filing and no termination notice requirement.

Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2050(2)

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

No. The supervising physician keeps the collaborative agreement at their primary practice site and a copy at each site where the PA provides medical services, available to the board and the department on request. No additional documents are required to be filed.

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

There is nothing to file for the collaborative relationship, so no waiting period applies. A PA needs a Nebraska license, a supervising physician, and a collaborative agreement on file at the required practice sites.

What are the termination and notice requirements in Nebraska?

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

Collaboration Compliance

Nebraska sets no fixed ongoing compliance numbers — no chart review count, no meeting cadence, no chart co-signature, no supervision documentation, and no records retention period. The two continuing obligations are availability and evaluation: the supervising physician must be readily available for consultation and collaboration on the PA’s activities, and the PA and physician must have a process in place for evaluating the PA’s performance.

Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2018

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Nebraska?

None — Nebraska requires no chart review. There is no chart co-signature requirement either. The PA and the supervising physician must establish a process for evaluating the PA’s performance, which the parties define themselves.

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

Nebraska sets no required meeting cadence. The supervising physician must be readily available for consultation and collaboration on the PA’s activities, and the parties must have an established performance evaluation process.

How long must collaboration records be kept in Nebraska?

Nebraska sets no retention period for collaboration records. The collaborative agreement must be kept on file at the supervising physician’s primary practice site and at each practice site where the PA provides medical services.

Prescribing Rules

PAs in Nebraska may prescribe controlled substances in Schedules II through V, and a PA who does must obtain a federal DEA registration number. Nebraska requires no separate state controlled-substance registration and adds no further conditions on prescriptive authority. Prescribing, like all of a PA’s medical services, must form a component of the supervising physician’s scope of practice.

Source: Neb. Rev. Stat. 38-2055

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in Nebraska?

Yes, in Schedules II through V, with a federal DEA registration number. Nebraska adds no state registration requirement and no heightened supervision requirement specific to controlled substances.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in Nebraska?

Yes. Nebraska names Schedules II, III, IV, and V together, and a PA prescribing in any of them must hold a federal DEA registration number.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in Nebraska?

Schedules II, III, IV, and V. In every case, prescribing must fall within the supervising physician’s scope of practice, and Nebraska sets no prescription form or prescription pad requirements.

Does a PA need a DEA license in Nebraska?

Yes, a PA who prescribes controlled substances in Schedules II through V must obtain a federal DEA registration number. Nebraska does not require a separate state controlled-substance registration.

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

No. Prescribing must form a component of the supervising physician’s own scope of practice, so a PA’s authority is bounded by what that physician practices. Nebraska does not require prescription-level co-signature or review.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

Nebraska’s master regulatory data does not address telehealth-specific or specialty-specific requirements for PAs. The standard collaboration, agreement, and prescribing rules apply, including the requirement that a PA in a multispecialty practice have a supervising physician for each specialty area they work in.

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in Nebraska?

Nebraska sets no telehealth-specific requirement for PAs in the master regulatory data. Nebraska also sets no in-person or proximity requirement that telehealth would need an exemption from.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in Nebraska?

Nebraska sets no specialty-specific requirements for PAs in the master regulatory data. Specialty does shape the relationship, though: a PA’s services must form a component of the supervising physician’s scope of practice, and a PA at a multispecialty employer needs a supervising physician for each specialty practice area they work in.