Pennsylvania Physician Collaboration
Find a collaborating physician in Pennsylvania
GuardianMD matches nurse practitioners and physician assistants with physicians licensed in Pennsylvania, and supports the agreement and oversight their role requires.
Licensed in Pennsylvania
Agreements built around state requirements
Get matched
Fast physician matching in Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania uses the term collaboration for the relationship between a certified registered nurse practitioner, or CRNP, and one or more physicians. The relationship is documented in a written collaborative agreement. A CRNP with prescriptive authority also uses a prescriptive authority collaborative agreement that addresses the prescribing relationship and applicable drug categories. Review Pennsylvania’s CRNP collaboration definition.
GuardianMD connects eligible Pennsylvania CRNPs with physicians based on factors such as Pennsylvania licensure, CRNP specialty, services, prescribing needs, practice setting, and relationship requirements. Pennsylvania does not currently provide a statutory pathway for CRNPs to transition to autonomous practice without physician collaboration. Review Pennsylvania’s CRNP practice requirements.
Pennsylvania physician assistants use a written agreement with a primary supervising physician under separate medical or osteopathic physician assistant laws and regulations. PA supervision should not be treated as interchangeable with CRNP collaboration. Review Pennsylvania’s PA agreement requirements.
Getting started in Pennsylvania
Everything your Pennsylvania practice needs to get started
GuardianMD helps eligible clinicians organize physician matching, relationship documents, communication, and ongoing administrative support in one place. The appropriate structure depends on the clinician’s provider type, CRNP specialty or PA scope, services, prescribing activities, supervising physician license type, and practice setting.
- Matching with a Pennsylvania-licensed physician
- Collaborative agreement and onboarding support for eligible CRNPs
- Prescriptive authority collaborative agreement support, when applicable
- Protocol and chart-review workflows, when applicable
- Physician communication and relationship documentation support
- Access to the GuardianMD platform
Support is available to licensed, eligible clinicians and practices that meet GuardianMD requirements. Services depend on the applicable plan and may be limited or adjusted to comply with state law.
Who we serve
Collaboration for every practice type in Pennsylvania
GuardianMD supports eligible Pennsylvania CRNPs who require a collaborative agreement and, when applicable, a prescriptive authority collaborative agreement. GuardianMD may also support eligible physician assistants through a separate process based on the PA’s written agreement and supervising-physician requirements. Support is organized around the provider’s license, specialty or scope, services, prescribing activities, and practice setting.
Practices may include:
- IV hydration and wellness
- Med spas and aesthetics
- Medical weight management
- Hormone therapy
- Psychiatry and mental health
- Primary care
- Telehealth
- Functional medicine
For practices with specialized clinical needs, GuardianMD can also help identify physicians with relevant experience. The final relationship must remain consistent with the clinician’s education, certification, scope, services, prescribing authority, and applicable Pennsylvania requirements.
How it works
From the first call to ongoing support
Tell us about your practice
Share your license type, service lines, and where you plan to operate in Pennsylvania
Get matched to a physician
We identify a physician licensed in Pennsylvania whose specialty aligns with the care you deliver.
Review the agreement
Your agreement is built around state requirements and walked through with you before signing.
Stay supported
Coordinated chart reviews, protocol updates, and physician access continue through the platform.
State Resources
Helpful links to Pennsylvania’s licensing boards
This reference outlines the essential state medical compliance regulations that guide daily clinical practice and patient care. It serves as a quick-reference tool to help maintain the highest standards of legal and professional compliance.
The resources below link to the state’s official licensing boards.
Pennsylvania State Board of Medicine: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa/boards-commissions/medicine
Pennsylvania State Board of Nursing: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa/boards-commissions/nursing
Pennsylvania State Board of Pharmacy: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa/boards-commissions/pharmacy
Pennsylvania State Board of Osteopathic Medicine: https://www.pa.gov/agencies/dos/department-and-offices/bpoa/boards-commissions/osteopathic-medicine
Because healthcare regulations are frequently updated, please use this reference as a general guide and always defer to the current mandates of your State Boards of Medicine, Nursing, and Pharmacy.
Common questions
Collaboration in Pennsylvania
What physician relationship does a Pennsylvania nurse practitioner need?
Pennsylvania certified registered nurse practitioners (CRNPs) use written, signed collaborative agreements with physicians licensed in Pennsylvania. Collaboration includes immediate physician availability through direct communication or telecommunications, an emergency-services plan, and scheduled access for consultation and review. GuardianMD helps eligible CRNPs find physicians suited to their specialty, services, and practice needs. Review Pennsylvania’s definition of CRNP collaboration.
Can experienced Pennsylvania CRNPs practice without physician collaboration?
Pennsylvania does not currently provide an experience-based pathway that removes the CRNP collaboration requirement. The advanced practice functions covered by the CRNP rules remain subject to collaboration and the CRNP’s specialty. Working in a hospital or providing telehealth does not itself establish an exemption. Review Pennsylvania’s CRNP practice requirements.
What additional agreement does a Pennsylvania CRNP need to prescribe?
A CRNP who prescribes needs the applicable prescriptive-authority approval and a prescriptive authority collaborative agreement. That agreement identifies the CRNP, collaborating physician, at least one substitute physician, specialty, authorized drug categories, patient-review arrangements, signatures, and effective dates. It must also specify the professional liability insurance covering the CRNP and be reviewed and updated at least every two years or whenever changed. Review Pennsylvania’s prescriptive agreement requirements.
Does a Pennsylvania collaborative agreement need to be filed?
The CRNP prescriptive authority collaborative agreement must be kept at the primary practice location, with a copy filed with the Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs. This filing requirement concerns the prescribing agreement. PAs have separate written-agreement filing requirements. Under State Board of Medicine rules, a PA agreement is effective upon submission. Osteopathic arrangements must follow the applicable osteopathic requirements. Review Pennsylvania’s CRNP prescribing-agreement filing rule. Review State Board of Medicine PA agreement requirements.
Can I change collaborating physicians if needed?
GuardianMD can help coordinate a transition, subject to eligibility, physician availability, and agreement terms. CRNPs must notify the State Board of Nursing in writing whenever a prescriptive authority collaborative agreement is updated or terminated and submit the appropriate change materials when required. The licensed parties remain responsible for required filings and continuity of the collaboration. Review Pennsylvania’s prescribing-agreement change requirements.
Do Pennsylvania NPs and PAs use the same agreement?
No. CRNPs use collaborative agreements under nursing requirements. PAs use written agreements with supervising physicians under the applicable medical or osteopathic framework. A PA agreement addresses scope, supervision, practice setting, and required record review. GuardianMD assesses CRNP collaboration and PA supervision separately. Review Pennsylvania’s medical-board PA written-agreement requirements.
What support does GuardianMD provide after matching?
Depending on your provider type, practice, and service plan, support may include collaborative agreement documentation, prescriptive agreement support, applicable protocols, chart-review workflows, physician communication, renewal support, and organized records through the GuardianMD platform. Services are subject to eligibility and applicable Pennsylvania requirements. Clinical decisions and professional compliance remain the responsibility of the licensed providers.
Last updated: October 5, 2026