CRNA · Montana
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists in Montana
No. Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists practice independently here. Montana does not require one.
Montana is a CMS Medicare opt-out state for CRNA physician-supervision requirements, and Montana's Nurse Practice Act does not impose a physician-supervision requirement on CRNA practice as one of the state's four recognized APRN roles. No independent-practice-specific statute distinct from the general APRN framework was found.
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
Not codified — left to the agreement
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified — left to the agreement
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
CRNAs are APRNs under Montana's Nurse Practice Act and may hold Board-granted prescriptive authority (§ 37-8-202, MCA) in the same manner as other APRN roles; in practice CRNA prescribing is largely anesthesia-related drugs administered under standing orders/protocols. Schedule-specific limits beyond the general APRN framework were not separately confirmed for CRNAs.
Written agreement
Not required
Unconditional as researched — no collaborative or supervisory agreement specific to CRNA practice was found in current statute.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same Professional Corporation framework (Title 35, ch. 4, MCA) as other APRNs above.
Legal sources for these rules (3)
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Montana
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist. Standard-tier state.
About Montana's rules
House Bill 810 (2023) would have imposed a 2-year physician/NP-collaboration requirement on APRNs; it was referred to committee and this research could not confirm it became law — current APRN statute text found shows no such requirement, so NP/CRNA/CNM/CNS are coded as independent, but verify this hasn't changed before relying on it. Montana repealed its corporate-practice-of-medicine statute in 1995; CPOM entries below reflect residual board rule, not a clear statutory line.
Other clinicians in Montana: see the state overview.