A summary of New Mexico’s collaboration, agreement, filing, supervision, prescribing, and specialty rules for PAs and the physicians who collaborate with them.
Collaborating Physician Required? Yes
Physician Involvement: Standard during a PA’s first three years of practice, then low once the PA moves to collaborative status.
Agreement Name: None
On-Site Requirements: None
Chart Review: No fixed count
Controlled Substances: No specific data
Reduced Supervision / Transition Requirements: Three years of clinical practice as a PA under a licensed physician’s supervision. Out-of-state experience counts. The PA submits verification of those three years plus proof of current malpractice liability insurance to the Board.
New Mexico PA Collaboration Requirements Summary
New Mexico requires every PA to work with a physician, but the nature of that relationship changes substantially at the three-year mark. For a PA’s first three years, a supervising physician is required, and that physician is individually responsible and liable for the acts and omissions delegated to the PA. After three years of supervised clinical practice, a PA can move to collaborative status: collaboration with a physician is still required, but New Mexico’s rules set out no requirements governing that relationship, and the collaborating physician does not take on legal responsibility for the care the PA provides. New Mexico requires no written agreement at either stage — the physician specifies what services the PA provides, in writing or by direct communication — and no agreement is filed with the Board. This page covers New Mexico’s rules on the collaborative relationship, written documentation, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.
Source: N.M.S.A. 1978, 61-6C-8(A)
Type of Collaborative Relationship
New Mexico runs two tiers. A PA with less than three years of clinical practice works under a supervising physician who is individually responsible and liable for the acts and omissions delegated to the PA. After three years of supervised clinical practice, the PA can request collaborative status, which keeps the requirement to work with a physician but drops physician involvement substantially and shifts legal responsibility — a collaborating physician does not assume legal responsibility for the health care the PA performs. New Mexico’s rules do not set out requirements governing the collaborative relationship after that transition.
Source: N.M.S.A. 1978, 61-6C-6(A)(1)
What is a PA’s scope of practice in New Mexico?
A PA’s practice limitations in New Mexico are set by the supervising physician’s specialty and practice setting, plus the PA’s own education and training. The physician must give the PA direction specifying what medical services should be provided, either in a written utilization plan or by other direct communication.
Do PAs need a collaborating physician in New Mexico?
Yes, at every stage. A PA in their first three years must practice under a supervising physician, and after moving to collaborative status a PA must still work in collaboration with a licensed physician.
Can PAs practice independently in New Mexico?
No — collaboration with a licensed physician is required even after a PA reaches collaborative status. What changes at three years is the depth of the relationship: New Mexico’s rules set out no requirements governing collaborative practice, and the collaborating physician does not assume legal responsibility for the PA’s care.
How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no numeric limit — a physician may supervise as many PAs as they can effectively supervise and communicate with in the circumstances of their particular practice setting.
Who can be a collaborating physician in New Mexico?
A physician licensed under the Medical Practice Act and approved by the board. There is no explicit same-specialty requirement, but specialty still shapes the relationship: the PA’s practice limitations are determined by the supervising physician’s specialty and practice setting. A collaborating physician for a post-transition PA must hold a current unrestricted license.
Are there proximity or in-person requirements in New Mexico?
No, New Mexico sets no distance, travel, or on-site presence requirement. The supervising physician must provide a means for immediate communication between the physician and the PA.
Collaboration Agreement Requirements
New Mexico requires no written collaborative agreement. What it requires instead is direction: the supervising physician must specify what medical services the PA should provide, and that can be done through a written utilization plan or by other direct communication. Because no agreement is required, New Mexico provides no template, sets no signature requirement, requires no backup physician, sets no on-site storage rule, and sets no review or renewal schedule.
Source: N.M. Admin. Code 16.10.15.11(A)(1)
What must be included in a PA collaborative agreement in New Mexico?
New Mexico requires no collaborative agreement and sets no required content for one. The supervising physician must provide direction to the PA specifying what medical services should be provided, which may be documented in a written utilization plan or handled through other direct communication.
What is the collaborative agreement called in New Mexico?
New Mexico has no named collaborative agreement for PAs. Where the physician’s direction is put in writing, it is called a utilization plan.
Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no signature requirement, since no collaborative agreement is required.
How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no review or renewal schedule.
Is a backup physician required in New Mexico?
No, New Mexico sets no backup or alternate physician requirement.
Board Filing Requirements
New Mexico requires no agreement to be filed, but it does require notice about the supervising relationship before a PA reaches collaborative status. The PA must inform the board of the name of the licensed physician they will practice under, and the supervising physician must submit written notice of intent to supervise on board-prescribed forms. There is no recurring filing, but a termination carries a 30-day written notice deadline.
Source: N.M. Admin. Code 16.10.15.10(B)
Do you have to file the collaborative agreement with the board in New Mexico?
No, because New Mexico requires no collaborative agreement. Before transitioning to collaborative status, though, the PA must inform the board of the supervising physician’s name, and the physician must submit written notice of intent to supervise on the board’s form.
Can a PA start practicing as soon as they file in New Mexico?
New Mexico’s rules do not state whether a PA may begin practicing immediately on submitting the notice or must wait for board action. What is clear is that both the PA’s notice of the physician’s name and the physician’s notice of intent to supervise are required.
What are the termination and notice requirements in New Mexico?
Within 30 days after an employer terminates a PA’s employment, either the supervising physician or the PA must submit written notice to the board with the date of termination and the reason for it. New Mexico allows no grace period for an unexpected termination.
Collaboration Compliance
New Mexico’s ongoing obligations are light and non-numeric. A quality assurance program for reviewing the medical services the PA provides must be in place, and the supervising physician must provide a means for immediate communication with the PA. New Mexico sets no chart review count, no meeting cadence, no chart co-signature requirement, no supervision documentation requirement, and no records retention period.
Source: N.M. Admin. Code 16.10.15.11(B)
How many charts must a collaborating physician review in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no chart review count. A quality assurance program for review of the medical services the PA provides must be in place, but the state does not prescribe how many charts it covers or how often. Chart co-signature is not required.
How often must a PA and collaborating physician meet in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no required meeting cadence. The requirements are a quality assurance program covering the PA’s medical services and a means for immediate communication between the PA and the supervising physician.
How long must collaboration records be kept in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no retention period for collaboration records and requires no supervision documentation.
Prescribing Rules
New Mexico’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 practice limitations set by the supervising physician’s specialty and practice setting and the PA’s own education and training.
Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in New Mexico?
New Mexico’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 New Mexico?
New Mexico’s master regulatory data does not address drug schedules individually for PAs. Prescribing follows from the practice limitations set by the supervising physician’s specialty and practice setting and the PA’s education and training.
What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in New Mexico?
New Mexico’s master regulatory data sets no schedule-by-schedule limits on PA prescribing.
Does a PA need a DEA license in New Mexico?
New Mexico imposes no state controlled-substance registration requirement on PAs. Federal DEA registration requirements apply independently of state law and are not addressed in New Mexico’s rules. New Mexico sets no prescription form or prescription pad requirements.
Can a PA prescribe independently (without physician sign-off) in New Mexico?
New Mexico requires no physician sign-off, co-signature, or prescription-level review. Prescribing must stay within the practice limitations determined by the supervising physician’s specialty and practice setting and the PA’s education and training.
Specialty & Telehealth Requirements
New Mexico’s master regulatory data does not address telehealth-specific or specialty-specific requirements for PAs. Specialty still shapes practice indirectly, since a PA’s practice limitations are determined by the supervising physician’s specialty and practice setting alongside the PA’s education and training.
Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no telehealth-specific requirement for PAs in the master regulatory data. New Mexico also sets no in-person or proximity requirement that telehealth would need an exemption from, though a means for immediate communication between the PA and the supervising physician must exist.
Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in New Mexico?
New Mexico sets no specialty-specific requirements for PAs in the master regulatory data. A PA’s practice limitations are still determined in part by the supervising physician’s specialty and practice setting.
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