Are there any proximity or in-person requirements between an NP and collaborating physician in California?

A California NP–physician collaboration does not require physical proximity or in-person presence. Physician supervision is explicitly not construed to require the physician’s physical presence, and acceptable supervision includes collaboration on and approval of Standardized Procedures and availability by telephonic contact at the time of the NP’s patient examination¹.

However, the organization’s Standardized Procedures must specify the scope of supervision and may require immediate physician supervision for particular functions or settings if the procedure so provides².

For NPs practicing under AB 890, a 103 NP must work within a group setting that includes at least one physician and surgeon, while a 104 NP may practice outside a group setting; these provisions do not impose an in-person proximity requirement, though consultation and referral plans are required as applicable³⁴.