CNM · Georgia
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Certified Nurse-Midwives in Georgia
Yes, a written physician agreement is required. Georgia does not name a specific instrument.
No hours- or experience-based independence pathway exists for CNMs in Georgia (unlike FL/NY) — the same mandatory § 43-34-25 nurse protocol agreement applies regardless of tenure. Georgia also has no functioning non-nurse midwife (CPM) license — a formal CNM-only cutoff dates to 1991, and a lawsuit challenging the restriction was filed April 2, 2026 (early stages as of mid-2026).
What the collaboration must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
Within 50 miles
Same 50-mile rule as `np` (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25) — no CNM-specific deviation found.
Supervision ratio
Up to 8 at a time (combined across provider types)
Same combined APRN+PA cap as `np` (§ 43-34-25(g)/(g.1)/(g.2)).
Chart review
10% of charts · Annually · countersignature required
Same 100%/100%/10% framework as `np` (GAC 360-32-.02) — no CNM-specific deviation found.
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Same near-total Schedule I/II prohibition and narrow hydrocodone/oxycodone-only exception as `np` (§ 43-34-25(d.1)) — no CNM-specific schedule restriction or expansion found.
Written agreement
Required
Unconditional — same nurse protocol agreement mechanism as `np` (O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25), no CNM-specific carve-out or exit threshold. Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. 410-11-.02 describes CNM scope as 'independent management of women's health care... pregnancy, childbirth, the postpartum period' — but that 'independent' describes clinical management style, not freedom from the physician-protocol requirement, which the same rule requires practice 'within a health care system that provides for consultation, collaborative management, or referral.'
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same framework as `np` — O.C.G.A. § 14-7-5 explicitly lists 'registered professional nursing' as its own eligible profession for PC ownership, confirmed directly (see `np` entry).
Distinguish from Georgia's separate, currently non-functioning direct-entry midwife (CPM) licensure category — see independentPractice.notes. This entry covers only the nurse-based CNM pathway.
Legal sources for these rules (3)
- O.C.G.A. § 43-34-25 — same framework as general NP (no CNM-specific statute)
- Ga. Comp. R. & Regs. R. 410-11-.02 — Rules for Certified Nurse-Midwives (via Cornell LII mirror)secondary
- Center for Reproductive Rights — 'Challenging Harmful Midwifery Restrictions in Georgia' (lawsuit filed April 2, 2026, early stages as of mid-2026 — corroborated by 19thnews.org and theGrio.com reporting; SECONDARY SOURCE, unverified against a primary docket)secondary
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Georgia
$500 – $650
Estimate for one Certified Nurse-Midwife. This state's rules add a restrictive-tier premium.
About Georgia's rules
Georgia remains one of the more restrictive states in this dataset — no independent-practice pathway exists for NP/PMHNP/CRNA/CNM/CNS, and a 50-mile APRN physician-proximity rule was NOT removed by 2023-2024 reform (a common misconception). That reform raised the ratio cap (4→a combined 8 APRNs+PAs) and added a narrow hydrocodone/oxycodone-only Schedule II exception — APRNs/PAs are otherwise barred from Schedule II. Georgia's primary-source sites were unusually inaccessible this pass; treat citations with extra caution pending follow-up.
Other clinicians in Georgia: see the state overview.