PharmD · Puerto Rico
Collaborative Practice Agreement for Pharmacists in Puerto Rico
Yes, a written physician agreement is required. Puerto Rico calls it a “Protocol”.
Represents Ley 247-2004's collaborative 'Protocolo' tier ('cuidado farmacéutico' under a written physician-pharmacist agreement) and its separate vaccine-administration certificate, not ordinary dispensing licensure, which is out of scope here. No board-certification/residency requirement or per-physician cap was found, unlike NC's CPP.
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
vaccine-administration certificate renewal: Annually
Certified pharmacists must complete ≥1 contact hour/year of immunization CE and maintain current CPR certification to keep the 3-year vaccine-administration certificate active; not a physician-meeting requirement as such.
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · no controlled-substance authority
Ley 247-2004 defines a 'Protocolo' allowing a pharmacist to initiate or modify a patient's pharmacotherapy collaboratively with a physician or group of physicians, and separately lets certified pharmacists administer influenza/pneumococcal/Td-Tdap vaccines to patients ≥12 without a medical order. No provision authorizing controlled-substance prescribing under a Protocolo was found — set to False rather than assumed; verify with the Junta de Farmacia before relying on this.
Written agreement
Required
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Non-licensee ownership permitted — No pharmacist-ownership requirement for a 'farmacia' was confirmed in this research pass — large non-pharmacist-owned chain pharmacies operate openly in PR, suggesting a permissive regime similar to NC/VA, but the specific Ley 247-2004 ownership provision was not located and reviewed directly — treat as probable, not confirmed.
A licensed 'farmacéutico regente' (pharmacist of record) must be named and is responsible for compliance regardless of who owns the pharmacy.
Legal sources for these rules (2)
- Ley Núm. 247 de 3 de septiembre de 2004 — Ley de Farmacia de Puerto Rico, Art. 1.03 (20 L.P.R.A. §407)
- Junta de Farmacia de Puerto Rico — Reglamento de Certificado para Administración de Vacunas
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Puerto Rico
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Pharmacist. Standard-tier state.
About Puerto Rico's rules
PR's 'Médico Asistente' (PA) credential is NOT the mainland PA profession — it is a bridge pathway mainly for internationally-trained physicians awaiting PR licensure (Ley 71-2017), capped at 2 per supervising physician with zero prescriptive authority. APRNs (NP/CNM/CRNA/CNS) need patient-level collaborative protocols with a physician for nearly all diagnostic/prescriptive functions (Ley 254-2015) despite AANP rating PR 'Reduced Practice.' No dedicated esthetician license currently exists.
Other clinicians in Puerto Rico: see the state overview.