West Virginia PA Collaboration Requirements Summary

West Virginia requires every PA to practice in collaboration with a physician, but it does not require a written collaborative agreement — instead, the PA and a health care facility file a practice notification with the licensing board, and the PA may not begin practicing until the board activates it. Physician involvement is standard: the collaborating physician must observe, direct, and evaluate the PA’s work, but constant physical presence is not required so long as the two can easily reach each other by phone or other telecommunication. PAs cannot practice independently in West Virginia, and the state provides no hours-based path to reduced collaboration. PAs may prescribe, including controlled substances, with Schedule II narcotics limited to a three-day supply. This page covers West Virginia’s rules on the collaborative relationship, the agreement (practice notification), board filing, ongoing compliance, prescribing, and specialty and telehealth requirements.

Source: W. Va. Code § 30-3E-9(b)

Type of Collaborative Relationship

West Virginia requires PAs to practice in collaboration with a physician, in any practice setting, under a practice notification that the licensing board has activated. Physician involvement is standard — the collaborating physician must observe, direct, and evaluate the PA’s work, but does not have to be on-site. There is no route to fully independent practice and no hours- or years-based transition to reduced collaboration.

Source: W. Va. Code § 30-3E-9(b)

What is a PA’s scope of practice in West Virginia?

A PA may practice in collaboration with physicians in any practice setting, limited to what the PA’s own education, training, and experience support. The PA must also stay within the privileges granted by the health care facility named on the practice notification, or that facility’s other credentialing requirements.

Do PAs need a collaborating physician in West Virginia?

Yes. A PA must practice in collaboration with a physician, and the practice notification filed with the board must certify that the PA will do so.

Can PAs practice independently in West Virginia?

No. Collaboration with a physician is required at all times, and West Virginia provides no experience-based path to independent or reduced-collaboration practice.

How many PAs can a physician collaborate with in West Virginia?

There is no limit — West Virginia sets no cap on how many PAs one physician may collaborate with.

Who can be a collaborating physician in West Virginia?

A collaborating physician must be a doctor of medicine, osteopathy, or podiatry who is fully licensed in West Virginia without any restriction or limitation. West Virginia does not require the physician to match the PA’s specialty.

Are there proximity or in-person requirements in West Virginia?

No. The collaborating physician’s constant physical presence is not required, as long as the physician and the PA are — or can be — easily in contact with one another by telecommunication. West Virginia also sets no geographic or travel requirements.

Collaboration Agreement Requirements

West Virginia does not require a written collaborative agreement between a PA and a physician. What the state requires instead is a practice notification, filed by the PA together with a health care facility, that identifies the PA and every practice location, verifies the PA’s prescriptive-authority qualifications, names the facility representative accountable for compliance, and certifies that the PA will practice in collaboration with physicians and within their own education, training, experience, and granted privileges. There is no state requirement for signatures, a backup physician, on-site storage, or periodic review.

Source: W. Va. Code R. § 11-1B-11(11.4)

What must be included in a PA collaborative agreement in West Virginia?

No collaborative agreement is required, so there is no required agreement content — the required document is the practice notification. The notification must include the PA’s name, license number, mailing address, phone, and email; the name and address of each health care facility location where the PA will practice; verification that the PA meets the qualifications for prescriptive authority; the name, title, and contact details of the facility representative responsible for compliance; and certifications that the PA will practice in collaboration with physicians, within their education, training, experience, and granted privileges, holds a current PA license or an interstate telehealth registration, will exercise prescriptive authority in conformity with the board’s rules, and will notify the board when the practice ends. If the PA’s license carries probation or any practice restriction, the notification must also describe those restrictions and include certifications from both the PA and the facility that the PA will practice within them.

What is the collaborative agreement called in West Virginia?

West Virginia has no collaborative agreement — the equivalent document is called a practice notification. It is completed as an online form through the PA’s licensure portal.

Who has to sign the collaborative agreement in West Virginia?

West Virginia sets no signature requirement. The practice notification is filed jointly by the PA and the health care facility, and both the PA and the facility representative provide the required certifications.

How often must the agreement be reviewed or renewed in West Virginia?

Never — West Virginia sets no review or renewal requirement, and no recurring filing requirement.

Is a backup physician required in West Virginia?

No — West Virginia sets no backup or alternate physician requirement.

Board Filing Requirements

Yes, a filing is required before practice: the PA and a health care facility must file a practice notification with the appropriate licensing board, pay the fee, and receive written notice that the notification is complete and active. Filing alone is not enough — the board must activate the notification before the PA may practice. When a practice notification ends, the PA must notify the board in writing within 10 days.

Source: W. Va. Code § 30-3E-10a(a)

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

There is no collaborative agreement to file, but a practice notification must be filed with the appropriate licensing board before the PA practices. The PA and the health care facility file it together and pay the applicable fee.

Can a PA start practicing as soon as they file in West Virginia?

No. The PA must first receive written notice from the licensing board that the practice notification is complete and active.

What are the termination and notice requirements in West Virginia?

The PA must notify the board in writing within 10 days after a practice notification terminates. West Virginia provides no grace period to keep practicing after an unanticipated termination.

Collaboration Compliance

Once collaboration is active, the collaborating physician must observe, direct, and evaluate the PA’s work, records, and practices as necessary for appropriate and meaningful collaboration — West Virginia does not translate that into a fixed number of charts, a set meeting cadence, or a required co-signature. The physician and PA must be able to reach each other easily by telecommunication. The state sets no separate recordkeeping or documentation requirement, and both the PA and the collaborating physician remain responsible for the care they provide.

Source: W. Va. Code § 30-3E-11(b)

How many charts must a collaborating physician review in West Virginia?

There is no required number. West Virginia sets no chart-review count and no co-signature requirement; instead, the collaborating physician must observe, direct, and evaluate the PA’s work, records, and practices as needed for meaningful collaboration.

How often must a PA and collaborating physician meet in West Virginia?

West Virginia sets no required meeting cadence. The collaborating physician must still evaluate the PA’s work as needed for meaningful collaboration, and the two must be able to be easily in contact by telecommunication.

How long must collaboration records be kept in West Virginia?

West Virginia sets no retention period — the state imposes no specific documentation or recordkeeping requirement for the collaboration itself.

Prescribing Rules

PAs in West Virginia may prescribe, including controlled substances, with one clear limit: a PA may prescribe no more than a three-day supply of a Schedule II narcotic. The state adds no separate credential for prescriptive authority and no state-level controlled-substance or state DEA registration, though the practice notification must verify that the PA meets the state’s prescriptive-authority qualifications. West Virginia sets no heightened collaboration requirement for controlled substances and no prescription-pad content requirement.

Source: W. Va. Code § 30-3E-3(c)(2)

Can a PA prescribe controlled substances in West Virginia?

Yes. West Virginia adds no extra state credential for controlled-substance prescribing, but the practice notification must verify that the PA meets the state’s qualifications for prescriptive authority, and Schedule II narcotics are limited to a three-day supply.

Can a PA prescribe Schedule II drugs in West Virginia?

Yes, but a PA may prescribe no more than a three-day supply of a Schedule II narcotic.

What schedule drugs can a PA prescribe in West Virginia?

West Virginia does not exclude any schedule from a PA’s prescriptive authority; the only schedule-specific limit in the state’s rules is the three-day supply cap on Schedule II narcotics. No other schedule-based restriction, supply limit, or refill limit applies under the state’s PA rules.

Does a PA need a DEA license in West Virginia?

West Virginia sets no state DEA or state controlled-substance registration requirement for PAs. Any federal registration obligation for prescribing controlled substances comes from federal law, not from West Virginia’s PA rules.

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

No — prescribing happens within the required collaborative relationship, though West Virginia does not require physician sign-off or co-signature on individual prescriptions. The PA must be practicing under an activated practice notification and must exercise prescriptive authority in conformity with the board’s rules.

Specialty & Telehealth Requirements

West Virginia’s PA collaboration rules set no specialty-specific requirements and no separate telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs — the standard collaboration, filing, and prescribing rules apply in every practice setting. The one telehealth-related point in the rules is that a PA filing a practice notification may hold either a West Virginia PA license or an interstate telehealth registration issued by the board.

Source: W. Va. Code § 30-1-26 (as referenced in W. Va. Code R. § 11-1B-11(11.4.5))

Are there telehealth or telemedicine requirements for PAs in West Virginia?

No, West Virginia sets no telehealth-specific requirement for PAs beyond the standard collaboration rules. A PA who practices into West Virginia by telehealth may file a practice notification on the basis of an interstate telehealth registration issued by the board rather than a full West Virginia PA license.

Are there specialty-specific requirements for PAs in West Virginia?

No — West Virginia sets no specialty-specific requirements for PAs. A PA may practice in collaboration with physicians in any practice setting, limited by their own education, training, and experience and by the privileges the health care facility has granted.