PMHNP · Pennsylvania
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners in Pennsylvania
Yes, a written physician agreement is required. Pennsylvania does not name a specific instrument.
Pennsylvania's Professional Nursing Law and CRNP regulations (49 Pa. Code Chapter 21, Subchapter C) don't carve out a separate framework for psychiatric-mental-health NPs — PMHNPs follow the same Collaborative Agreement regime as any other CRNP (see the general `np` entry). This entry exists for its own page/URL/calculator weight, not a legal distinction.
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)
Same standard as general CRNPs — collaborating physician must be immediately available in person or by telecommunication (49 Pa. Code § 21.285).
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
Separate prescribing terms required · controlled substances permitted
Same statutory framework as general CRNPs — no PMHNP-specific schedule limit was found. PMHNP prescribing in practice skews toward Schedule II stimulants and Schedule IV benzodiazepines/hypnotics more heavily than general primary-care CRNP prescribing — a risk/complexity difference, not a different legal limit (reflected in calculatorWeights, not this rule).
Written agreement
Required
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same as the general `np` entry — practice ownership by a CRNP (including a PMHNP-focused CRNP) is not expressly addressed by statute; treat as unconfirmed/open.
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Pennsylvania
$500 – $800
Estimate for one Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. This state's rules add a restrictive-tier premium.
About Pennsylvania's rules
Pennsylvania has no independent-practice pathway for CRNPs — SB 25-style full-practice-authority bills have been introduced every session without passing. PA (physician assistant) reform via Acts 78/79 of 2021 removed prior Board pre-approval of written agreements and the flat 100%-countersignature rule after the first year, but a written agreement and supervision remain mandatory. PA is a CPOM state: only licensed physicians may own a medical professional corporation.
Other clinicians in Pennsylvania: see the state overview.