What are the requirements of a physician to collaborate with a New York NP?

To collaborate with a New York NP, a physician must be qualified in the NP’s specialty and, when the NP has fewer than 3,600 practice hours, enter into and maintain a written practice agreement and written practice protocols¹². The collaborating physician must keep these documents in the physician’s practice setting, make them available to the Department upon request, and review the NP’s patient records at least every three months³⁴.

Key physician obligations include maintaining the practice agreement and protocols in the physician’s practice setting and making them available to the Department³; reviewing NP patient records at least every three months⁴; ensuring the agreement addresses procedures for resolving diagnostic and treatment disagreements (the physician’s recommendation prevails if not otherwise specified), referrals/consultations, coverage for emergency absences, and timely record review¹⁶; and not entering into written practice agreements with more than four NPs who are not located on the same physical premises as the physician⁵. Physicians must also comply with Department protocol reviews and submit any required revisions within 30 days⁷.

When an NP has 3,600 or more practice hours, formal written agreements and protocols are no longer required, but collaboration continues through “collaborative relationships” with a physician qualified in the NP’s specialty. These relationships involve ongoing communication for comprehensive patient care and referrals; if reasonable efforts cannot resolve a dispute about a patient’s care, the physician’s recommendation prevails².