Legal Requirements of Healthcare Agreements
September 15, 2023
In Tennessee, if you are a physician assistant (PA) or an advanced practice nurse (APN) you are required to have a supervising physician. These agreements are done through a collaboration agreement. The collaboration agreement sets out the terms of physician supervision and ensures that the supervision meets the standards required by law. These legal healthcare agreements must be in writing, kept at the PA’s or APN’s site of practice, and signed and dated by both parties.
Tennessee requires that a supervising physician be an MD or a DO with an up-to-date unencumbered Tennessee license to practice medicine. Additionally, the supervising physician must have experience in the same field of medicine as the supervisee. It is not necessary for the supervisor to work at the same primary practice site as the supervisee, so long as the supervisee has a valid license.
There are three main requirements of the supervising physician. First, the supervisor must make themselves readily available to the supervisee during working hours. Furthermore, the supervisor must visit the supervisee’s site of practice once every thirty days. Lastly, the supervisor must review twenty percent of the supervisee’s charts.
In addition to the requirements set out by law, the collaboration agreement must include “written protocols” that were developed together by the collaborating practitioners. These protocols must be specific to the area of practice and population seen, specify which drugs the supervisee may prescribe, and lay out the standard of care to be provided. Lastly, these protocols must be reviewed and updated every two years.
If you are entering into a collaboration agreement it is important to consult with a health law attorney to make sure all legal requirements are met. This will help ensure a smooth collaborating relationship and avoid issues with the Board of Medicine and/or Nursing. Speak with the best healthcare attorneys in Lebanon, TN about your legal healthcare agreements by contacting Hagar & Phillips for a confidential consultation at 615-784-4588.
Source: https://www.tn.gov/content/dam/tn/health/documents/SUPERVISION_FAQs.pdf
