A summary of New York’s collaboration, agreement, filing, supervision, prescribing, and specialty rules for NPs and the physicians who collaborate with them.
Collaborating Physician Required? Yes
Physician Involvement: Standard, then transitions to Low after 3,600 hours
Agreement Name: Written practice agreement and practice protocols (under 3,600 hours); collaborative relationship attestation (over 3,600 hours)
On-Site Requirements: No proximity or in-person practice rule
Chart Review: At least every 3 months under 3,600 hours (no fixed count); none after 3,600 hours
Controlled Substances: Allowed; requires a state prescriptive-authority certificate, plus a federal DEA registration.
Reduced Supervision / Transition Requirements: 3,600 hours
New York NP Collaboration Requirements Summary
New York requires nurse practitioners to have a collaborating physician — the level of involvement depends on the NP’s experience. NPs with 3,600 or fewer hours of practice must work under a written practice agreement and written practice protocols with a physician qualified in their specialty. NPs with more than 3,600 hours are exempt from the written agreement and protocols but, as of July 1, 2026, must still maintain a collaborative relationship with a qualified physician (or a qualifying hospital) — New York no longer permits fully independent NP practice.
Source: NY Educ. Law § 6902(3)
Type of Collaborative Relationship
New York NPs practice in collaboration with a physician, with the intensity of that collaboration tied to experience. NPs with 3,600 or fewer hours work under a written practice agreement and written practice protocols with a physician qualified in the NP’s specialty. Once an NP exceeds 3,600 hours, the written agreement and protocols are no longer required, but the NP must still maintain a collaborative relationship as needed to exchange information and make referrals. New York does not automatically make the collaborating physician legally responsible for the NP’s care.
Source: NY Educ. Law § 6902(3)(a), (b)
What is an NP’s scope of practice in New York?
New York NPs may diagnose, treat, and prescribe within their specialty. Under 3,600 hours this is done in accordance with a written practice agreement and protocols; over 3,600 hours the NP has full practice authority.
Do NPs need a collaborating physician in New York?
Yes. Every New York NP must have a collaborating physician (or qualifying hospital) relationship — a formal written practice agreement under 3,600 hours, and a lighter collaborative relationship over 3,600 hours.
Can NPs practice independently in New York?
Yes, NPs with over 3,600 hours of practice experience may practice without maintaining written agreements and protocols with a licensed collaborating physician.
How many NPs can a physician supervise in New York?
Up to four, when the NPs are not on the same premises as the physician. A physician may not enter into practice agreements with more than four NPs located at a different physical address; there is no cap for NPs on the same premises, and this ratio does not restrict NPs who have passed 3,600 hours.
Who can be a collaborating physician in New York?
A physician qualified to collaborate in the NP’s specialty. Alternatively, the NP may collaborate with a hospital licensed under Article 28 of the Public Health Law that provides services through physicians qualified in the specialty and holding privileges there.
Are there proximity or in-person requirements in New York?
No. New York sets no proximity, travel, or in-person practice requirement. The written agreement or collaborative-relationship attestation must, however, be kept at the practice location.
Collaboration Agreement Requirements
New York’s written agreement (required for NPs under 3,600 hours) is a written practice agreement paired with written practice protocols. It must include provisions for referral and consultation; coverage for emergency absences of either the NP or the physician; resolution of disagreements over diagnosis and treatment, with the physician’s opinion prevailing if a dispute can’t be resolved; and review of patient records by the collaborating physician at least every three months. The protocols identify the NP’s area of practice and must reflect accepted medical and nursing standards. New York provides a state collaboration agreement and pre-approved practice protocols. For NPs over 3,600 hours, the formal agreement is replaced by a collaborative relationship documented on a state attestation form; no signatures are required, and a back-up physician is not required.
Source: NY Educ. Law § 6902(3)(a)(iv); 8 NYCRR 64.5
What must be included in an NP collaborative agreement in New York?
Provisions for referral and consultation, coverage for emergency absences, resolution of disagreements over diagnosis and treatment (the physician prevails if unresolved), patient-record review at least every three months, and the practice protocols the NP will use.
What is the collaborative agreement called in New York?
It is called a written practice agreement, paired with written practice protocols, for NPs under 3,600 hours. NPs over 3,600 hours instead complete a collaborative relationship attestation.
Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in New York?
New York sets no signature requirement for the agreement.
How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in New York?
New York sets no fixed renewal cadence. For NPs over 3,600 hours, the collaborative relationship attestation form must be updated as needed and may be reviewed by the department.
Is a backup (covering) physician required in New York?
No. New York does not require a back-up or covering physician, though the written agreement must address coverage for emergency absences.
Board Filing Requirements
New York does not require NPs to file the collaboration agreement itself, but a verification form must be filed. As of July 1, 2026, NPs must file a verification form — including the practice protocols in use — with the State Education Department within 90 days of starting practice, and the department may review and approve those protocols. NPs may begin practicing upon filing. There are no recurring filing requirements, and no termination notice is required when a collaboration ends.
Source: 8 NYCRR 64.5(a)(5); NY Educ. Law § 6902(3)(a)(iv)
Do you have to file the collaborative agreement with the board in New York?
No — the agreement itself is not filed, but a verification form (including the practice protocols in use) must be filed with the State Education Department within 90 days of starting practice.
Can an NP start practicing as soon as they file in New York?
Yes. New York NPs may begin practicing upon filing.
What are the termination and notice requirements in New York?
None. New York does not require notice to the board when a collaboration ends.
Collaboration Compliance
New York’s ongoing obligations depend on experience, and they are lightest for experienced NPs. For NPs under 3,600 hours, the collaborating physician must review patient records at least every three months (with no fixed number of charts), and the NP’s and physician’s names must be posted at the practice site. New York sets no meeting cadence and does not require chart co-signing. For NPs over 3,600 hours, the NP must be able to communicate with the physician as needed — in person, by phone, or in writing, including electronically — and must maintain documentation of the collaborative relationship, such as a written agreement, records of consultation, or other evidence.
Source: NY Educ. Law § 6902(3)(a)(iii), (b)
How many charts must a collaborating physician review in New York?
There is no fixed number. For NPs under 3,600 hours, the physician must review patient records at least every three months; NPs over 3,600 hours have no chart-review requirement.
How often must an NP and collaborating physician meet in New York?
There is no required meeting cadence. NPs over 3,600 hours must, however, be able to communicate with the physician as needed — in person, by phone, or in writing.
How long must collaboration records be kept in New York?
New York sets no fixed retention period. NPs over 3,600 hours must keep the collaborative-relationship documentation (agreement, consultation records, or other evidence) at the practice location and produce it to the State Education Department on request.
Prescribing Rules
New York NPs may prescribe drugs, devices, and immunizing agents, including controlled substances, once they hold a prescriptive-authority certificate. To prescribe, the NP must obtain a certificate from the State Education Department after completing an approved program with a pharmacology component. Prescribing is done in accordance with the NP’s practice agreement and protocols (under 3,600 hours) or collaborative relationship (over 3,600 hours). New York imposes no additional state requirement specific to controlled substances beyond this certificate, and sets no special prescription-pad format.
Source: NY Educ. Law § 6902(3)(a)(ii)
Can an NP prescribe controlled substances in New York?
Yes. Once an NP holds the state prescriptive-authority certificate, New York imposes no additional state requirement specific to controlled substances.
Can an NP prescribe Schedule II drugs in New York?
Yes. New York does not restrict specific controlled-substance schedules for certified NPs or impose an additional Schedule II requirement in the source rules.
What schedule drugs can an NP prescribe in New York?
New York NPs may prescribe drugs, devices, and immunizing agents in accordance with their practice agreement and protocols (or collaborative relationship). The source rules set no schedule-specific restriction beyond holding the prescriptive-authority certificate.
Does an NP need a DEA license in New York?
A federal DEA registration is required to prescribe controlled substances. New York’s source rules do not specify a separate state DEA registration beyond the prescriptive-authority certificate.
Can an NP prescribe independently (without physician sign-off) in New York?
No individual prescription sign-off is required. NPs prescribe under their own prescriptive-authority certificate, within their practice agreement and protocols (under 3,600 hours) or collaborative relationship (over 3,600 hours); New York does not require a physician to co-sign prescriptions or charts.
Specialty & Telehealth Requirements
New York sets no specialty-specific NP requirements and no telehealth-specific NP rules in the source. The one specialty-related condition is on the physician’s side: the collaborating physician (or the hospital’s physicians) must be qualified to collaborate in the NP’s specialty. New York’s rules are silent on whether the collaborating physician is automatically liable for the NP’s care.
Source: NY Educ. Law § 6902(3)(b)
Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for NPs in New York?
No. New York sets no telehealth-specific requirements for NPs in the source rules.
Are there specialty-specific requirements for NPs in New York?
No specialty-specific NP requirements apply. The collaborating physician (or hospital physicians) must, however, be qualified to collaborate in the NP’s specialty.
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