PA · Iowa
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Physician Assistants in Iowa
Yes, a written physician agreement is required. Iowa does not name a specific instrument.
No independent-practice pathway exists for PAs in Iowa — physician supervision under a supervision agreement is required for as long as the PA practices (Iowa Code Ch. 148C).
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
Available remotely (no on-site requirement)
Supervision does not require the supervising physician's personal presence where services are rendered, except as expressly required by Ch. 148C or board rule (Iowa Admin. Code 481—780.8). No fixed mile/minute radius is codified.
Supervision ratio
Up to 5 at a time
No more than 5 PAs may be supervised by a physician at the same time (Iowa Admin. Code 481—780.8(3)).
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Separate prescribing terms required · controlled substances permitted
Prescriptive scope is addressed in the supervision agreement; a Iowa-specific schedule limit for PAs was not confirmed in this research pass.
Written agreement
Required
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Professional corporation under Iowa Code Ch. 496C, or PLLC — Iowa's 'lawful combination' rule lets physicians (MD/DO) and PAs co-own the same entity; nurse practitioners are not included in that combination and generally cannot co-own a physician-PA entity.
Ownership is legally distinct from the clinical supervisory relationship above.
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Iowa
$500 – $700
Estimate for one Physician Assistant. Standard-tier state.
About Iowa's rules
Iowa APRNs (NP/CRNA/CNM/CNS) may practice, diagnose, and independently prescribe (including controlled substances, with DEA/Board of Pharmacy registration) with no collaborative agreement required by the Board of Nursing — a voluntary agreement is permitted but optional. PAs remain supervised_only under a 5-PA-per-physician cap (Iowa Code Ch. 148C).
Other clinicians in Iowa: see the state overview.