Vermont PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

Vermont requires every PA to enter into a practice agreement with a participating physician and file it with the Board before practicing. Specialty matters here: a PA can only enter an agreement with a sole practitioner whose specialty is similar to or related to the PA’s own, and where the agreement is with a group or facility, at least one physician there must meet that standard. Physician involvement is standard — no on-site requirement, no chart review, no meeting cadence — but a physician must be reachable for consultation by phone or electronically whenever the PA is practicing. Vermont is explicit that the practice agreement alone does not make the participating physician legally liable for the PA’s actions. This page covers Vermont’s rules on the collaborative relationship, the practice agreement, board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: 26 VSA 1735a(a)

Type of Collaborative Relationship

Vermont requires a practice agreement with a participating physician, filed with the Board, before a PA may practice. Physician involvement is standard: the agreement sets the processes for communication, availability, decision making, and joint evaluation, and a physician must be accessible for consultation at all times the PA is practicing. Vermont states plainly that the existence of a practice agreement alone does not make the participating physician legally liable for the PA’s actions or inactions, though it does not otherwise limit that physician’s liability. There is no path to reduced supervision or independent practice for PAs in Vermont.

Source: 26 VSA 1735a(c)

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

A PA’s scope in Vermont is limited to medical care within the PA’s own education, training, and experience. The practice agreement must contain that limitation and must list any specific restrictions on the PA’s practice.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in Vermont?

Yes. A PA must enter into a practice agreement with a participating physician, and that agreement must be received by the Board before the PA can practice in Vermont.

Can PAs practice independently in Vermont?

No. A filed practice agreement is required to practice, a physician must be accessible for consultation at all times, and Vermont sets no experience threshold that leads to reduced collaboration or independence.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in Vermont?

Vermont sets no limit on the number of PAs a physician may enter practice agreements with.

Who can be a collaborating physician in Vermont?

A Vermont-licensed physician whose specialty is similar to or related to the PA’s area of specialty. Where the participating physician represents a physician group or health care facility rather than practicing solo, the requirement is that one or more physicians in that group or facility has a similar or related specialty.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in Vermont?

No, Vermont sets no distance, travel, or on-site presence requirement. The standing requirement is availability: a physician must be accessible for consultation by telephone or electronic means at all times when a PA is practicing, and the practice agreement must include a plan for making that happen.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

Vermont’s written agreement is called a practice agreement, and it must cover four things plus both parties’ Vermont license numbers. The PA and the participating physician sign it, and Vermont specifies that no other signatures are required. It must be reviewed at least at the time of each of the PA’s license renewals, and that review has to be documented in writing and signed. Vermont provides no template and sets no on-site storage requirement, but any amendment must be re-signed and submitted to the Board.

Source: 26 VSA 1735a(b)

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

Four things: processes for physician communication, availability, decision making, and periodic joint evaluation of services delivered when providing patient care; an agreement that the PA’s scope of practice is limited to medical care within the PA’s education, training, and experience, with any specific restrictions listed; a plan to have a physician available for consultation at all times the PA is practicing medicine; and the signatures of the PA and the participating physician. The agreement must also include the Vermont license numbers of both the PA and the participating physician. Vermont provides no state template.

What is the collaborative agreement called in Vermont?

It is called a practice agreement. Vermont refers to the physician who signs it as the participating physician.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in Vermont?

The PA and the participating physician, and no one else — Vermont expressly states that no other signatures are required. Any revised agreement must be signed again by both before it is submitted to the Board.

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

At a minimum, at the time of each of the PA’s license renewals. The review is done by the PA together with either the participating physician or a representative of the practice, physician group, or health care facility. It must be documented in writing when completed and signed by the PA and the reviewing physician.

Is a backup physician required in Vermont?

No, Vermont sets no backup or alternate physician requirement. The practice agreement must include a plan for having a physician available for consultation at all times the PA is practicing.

Board Filing Requirements

Vermont requires the practice agreement to be filed with the Board, and a PA cannot practice in Vermont until the Board has received it. Filing is straightforward: hard copy, email, or fax, at the PA’s option, with no original documents required. The Board does not review the substance — it will not request or require modifications — so there is no approval to wait for beyond receipt. Any amendment must be re-signed by both parties and submitted.

Source: 26 VSA 1735a(f)

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

Yes. The practice agreement is filed with the Board, and may be submitted in hard copy, by email, or by fax. If changes are later made, the revised agreement must be signed by the PA and the participating physician and submitted to the Board.

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

Yes, once the Board has received the practice agreement. The restriction on practice runs only until receipt — the Board will not provide feedback on the agreement or request modifications to it.

What are the termination and notice requirements in Vermont?

Vermont sets no termination notice requirement, though the Board provides a termination form. Vermont does address the physician becoming unavailable: if a sole-practitioner participating physician becomes unexpectedly unavailable because of serious illness or death, the PA may continue practicing for up to 30 days without a new practice agreement. In any other circumstance where the participating physician will be unavailable for 30 days or more, the PA must submit a new practice agreement and may not practice after that physician becomes unavailable until the new agreement reaches the Board.

Collaboration Compliance

Vermont’s ongoing obligations run through the practice agreement rather than through fixed review numbers. A physician must be accessible for consultation by telephone or electronic means at all times the PA is practicing, and the agreement’s own processes govern communication, decision making, and periodic joint evaluation of services. The agreement must be reviewed at least at each license renewal, with that review documented in writing and signed. Vermont sets no chart review count, no meeting cadence, no chart co-signature requirement, and no records retention period.

Source: 26 VSA 1735a(d)

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in Vermont?

None — Vermont requires no chart review. There is no chart co-signature requirement either. The practice agreement must instead set out a process for periodic joint evaluation of the services delivered when providing medical care to a patient.

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

Vermont sets no required meeting cadence, but the agreement must be reviewed at least at each license renewal. Beyond that, the practice agreement’s own processes for communication, availability, decision making, and periodic joint evaluation govern, and a physician must be accessible for consultation at all times the PA is practicing.

How long must collaboration records be kept in Vermont?

Vermont sets no retention period for collaboration records and sets no on-site storage requirement for the practice agreement. Each review of the agreement must be documented in writing at the time it is completed and signed by the PA and the reviewing physician.

Prescribing Rules

PAs in Vermont may prescribe, dispense, administer, and procure drugs and medical devices to the same extent as a physician. A PA who prescribes controlled substances must be registered with the federal DEA. Vermont adds no further conditions on prescriptive authority, no separate state controlled-substance registration, no heightened oversight for controlled substances, and no prescription form requirements.

Source: 26 VSA 1735a(h)

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in Vermont?

Yes, with federal DEA registration. Vermont requires no separate state controlled-substance registration and adds no heightened supervision requirement specific to controlled substances.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in Vermont?

Yes — Vermont sets PA prescribing authority at the same extent as a physician’s, with federal DEA registration required for controlled substances. Vermont does not carve out Schedule II for separate treatment.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in Vermont?

Vermont does not define PA prescribing by schedule — a PA may prescribe, dispense, administer, and procure drugs and medical devices to the same extent as a physician. Prescribing still has to stay within the PA’s education, training, and experience and within any restrictions listed in the practice agreement.

Does a PA need a DEA license in Vermont?

Yes, a PA who prescribes controlled substances must be registered with the federal DEA. Vermont does not require a separate state controlled-substance registration and sets no prescription pad requirements.

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

Vermont requires no physician sign-off, co-signature, or prescription-level review. Prescribing must stay within the PA’s education, training, and experience and within any specific restrictions listed in the practice agreement, and a physician must remain accessible for consultation while the PA is practicing.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

Vermont sets no specialty-specific requirements for PAs, but it does offer two distinct telehealth credentials, each capped by the number of patients a PA may treat. Specialty matters elsewhere in Vermont’s rules: the participating physician’s specialty must be similar to or related to the PA’s.

Source: CVR 13-141-001(III)(28),(29)

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in Vermont?

Yes — Vermont offers a telehealth license and a telehealth registration, each with a patient cap. A telehealth license covers telehealth practice only and allows a PA to treat a total of 20 unique patients during each licensing period. A telehealth registration is valid for 120 consecutive days from issuance and allows a total of 10 unique patients during that time.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in Vermont?

Vermont sets no specialty-specific practice requirements for PAs in the master regulatory data. Specialty does govern who a PA can partner with: a sole-practitioner participating physician must have a specialty similar to or related to the PA’s, and in a group or facility at least one physician must meet that standard.