Rhode Island PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

Rhode Island requires PAs to practice in collaboration with physicians, but sets no written agreement and no formal oversight machinery around it. There is nothing to file with the state, no chart review, no meeting cadence, no ratio limit, and no on-site requirement — the standing requirements are that a physician be accessible at all times for consultation and that the PA consult with or refer to an appropriate physician when the patient’s condition, the PA’s own competence, or the standards of care call for it. How much collaboration happens is decided at the practice level, including by a physician employer, a group practice, or a hospital’s credentialing and privileging system. Prescribing is broad, covering Schedules II through V with the right registrations. This page covers Rhode Island’s rules on the collaborative relationship, written documentation, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-54-8(a)

Type of Collaborative Relationship

Rhode Island requires PAs to practice in collaboration with physicians, and defines that collaboration as consulting with or referring to an appropriate physician or other health care professional as the patient’s condition, the PA’s education, competencies, and experience, and the standards of care indicate. Physician involvement is low: no written agreement, no chart review, no required meetings, and no on-site presence, though a physician must be accessible at all times for consultation. How much collaboration a given PA needs is determined at the practice level. Rhode Island offers no experience-based path to reduced collaboration, because the baseline requirements are already minimal.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-54-2(5)

What is a PA’s scope of practice in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island frames a PA’s practice through the collaboration standard rather than a fixed task list. A PA must consult with or refer to an appropriate physician or other health care professional as indicated by the patient’s condition, the PA’s education, competencies, and experience, and the standards of care. The degree of collaboration is determined by the practice, including decisions by a physician employer, a physician group practice, and the credentialing and privileging systems of a licensed hospital, health center, or ambulatory care center.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in Rhode Island?

Yes. Rhode Island requires PAs to practice in collaboration with physicians, and a physician must be accessible at all times for consultation by the PA.

Can PAs practice independently in Rhode Island?

No, collaboration with a physician is required. That said, Rhode Island’s requirements are among the lightest in the country: no written agreement, no filing, no chart review, no meeting cadence, and no ratio limit. The practical constraint is that a physician must be accessible at all times for consultation.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in Rhode Island?

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

Who can be a collaborating physician in Rhode Island?

A physician licensed in Rhode Island. Rhode Island sets no additional experience, specialty, or continuing education requirement for the collaborating physician.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Rhode Island?

No, Rhode Island sets no distance, travel, or on-site presence requirement. The standing requirement is availability: a physician must be accessible at all times for consultation by the PA.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

Rhode Island requires no written collaborative agreement. The only requirement is that the PA practice in collaboration with physicians, which means consulting with or referring to an appropriate physician or other health care professional as the situation calls for. Because no agreement exists, Rhode Island provides no template, sets no required content, requires no signatures, requires no backup physician, sets no storage rule, and sets no review or renewal schedule. The degree of collaboration is set by the practice instead.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-54-8(a)

What must be included in a PA collaborative agreement in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island requires no collaborative agreement and sets no required content for one. The obligation is behavioral rather than documentary: the PA must consult with or refer to an appropriate physician or other health care professional as indicated by the patient’s condition, the PA’s education, competencies, and experience, and the standards of care.

What is the collaborative agreement called in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island has no named collaborative agreement for PAs. The statute simply requires that PAs practice in collaboration with physicians.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island sets no signature requirement, since no collaborative agreement is required.

How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island sets no review or renewal schedule.

Is a backup physician required in Rhode Island?

No, Rhode Island sets no backup or alternate physician requirement. A physician must be accessible at all times for consultation, but the state does not require a specific alternate to be designated.

Board Filing Requirements

Rhode Island requires no board filing for the collaborative relationship. There is no agreement to file, no additional documents are required, there is no recurring filing, and no notice is required when a collaborative relationship ends. The one registration a PA may need is unrelated to the relationship itself: a controlled-substance prescribing registration from the Board of Pharmacy.

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

No, because Rhode Island requires no collaborative agreement. No additional documents are required to be filed for the collaborative relationship.

Can a PA start practicing as soon as they file in Rhode Island?

There is nothing to file for the collaborative relationship, so no waiting period applies. A PA needs a Rhode Island license and a physician accessible for consultation, plus a Board of Pharmacy registration if they will prescribe controlled substances.

What are the termination and notice requirements in Rhode Island?

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

Collaboration Compliance

Rhode Island sets no fixed ongoing compliance obligations — no chart review, no meeting cadence, no chart co-signature, no supervision documentation, and no records retention period. The continuing requirement is availability: a physician must be accessible at all times for consultation by the PA, and the PA must consult with or refer to an appropriate physician or other health care professional when the patient’s condition, the PA’s own competence, or the standards of care call for it.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-54-2(5)

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Rhode Island?

None — Rhode Island requires no chart review. There is no chart co-signature requirement and no supervision documentation requirement either.

How often must a PA and collaborating physician meet in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island sets no required meeting cadence. A physician must be accessible at all times for consultation, and the degree of collaboration beyond that is determined by the practice, including by a physician employer, group practice, or a hospital’s credentialing and privileging system.

How long must collaboration records be kept in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island sets no retention period for collaboration records and requires no supervision documentation.

Prescribing Rules

PAs in Rhode Island may prescribe prescription medications including controlled substances in Schedules II, III, IV, and V, along with medical therapies, medical devices, and medical diagnostics. A PA who prescribes controlled substances must hold a Rhode Island registration for prescribing controlled substances issued by the Board of Pharmacy, in addition to a federal registration. Rhode Island adds no further conditions on prescriptive authority and sets no prescription form requirements.

Source: R.I. Gen. Laws 5-54-8(c)

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in Rhode Island?

Yes, in Schedules II, III, IV, and V. A PA who does must obtain a Rhode Island registration for prescribing controlled substances from the Board of Pharmacy plus a federal registration. Rhode Island adds no heightened supervision requirement specific to controlled substances.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in Rhode Island?

Yes. Rhode Island names Schedules II, III, IV, and V together, and the same Board of Pharmacy and federal registrations apply across all of them.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in Rhode Island?

Schedules II, III, IV, and V. PAs may also prescribe other prescription medications, medical therapies, medical devices, and medical diagnostics.

Does a PA need a DEA license in Rhode Island?

Yes, a federal registration is required to prescribe controlled substances, and so is a Rhode Island controlled-substance prescribing registration from the Board of Pharmacy. Rhode Island sets no prescription form or prescription pad requirements.

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

Rhode Island requires no physician sign-off, co-signature, or prescription-level review. The general collaboration standard still applies: the PA must consult with or refer to an appropriate physician as the patient’s condition, the PA’s competence, and the standards of care indicate.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

Rhode Island’s master regulatory data does not address telehealth-specific or specialty-specific requirements for PAs. The general collaboration standard applies across settings and specialties, with the degree of collaboration determined at the practice level.

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island sets no telehealth-specific requirement for PAs in the master regulatory data. Rhode Island also sets no in-person or proximity requirement that telehealth would need an exemption from, though a physician must remain accessible at all times for consultation.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island sets no specialty-specific requirements for PAs in the master regulatory data. The degree of collaboration is instead shaped by the practice setting, including hospital, health center, and ambulatory care center credentialing and privileging systems.