How To Find a Collaborating Physician: Guide for NPs and PAs
For many nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician associates (PAs), finding a collaborating physician is one of the most important steps in launching or expanding a clinical practice.
Whether you’re opening a new independent practice, starting a new role, or transitioning into a new specialty, the process of finding the right physician partner can be complex. Add in state-specific regulations, documentation requirements, and ongoing compliance, and it can become overwhelming.
But here’s the truth: collaboration doesn’t have to be a barrier to care or your business. With the right knowledge and tools, NPs and PAs can confidently navigate the process and establish clinical collaborations that support a high-quality and compliant practice
This article covers how to find a collaborating physician and the key factors to consider.
Why Finding a Collaborating Physician Matters
In nearly half of U.S. states, NPs are required to work with a collaborating or supervising physician to prescribe medications, provide certain treatments, or practice independently. For PAs, supervision requirements are often more strict, but involve similar oversight.
A collaborative agreement ensures compliance with scope of practice laws, protects licensure, and creates a framework for safe patient care. For organizations, failure to properly document and maintain these agreements can lead to audit failures, fines, and delays in payer credentialing.
1. Understand Your State’s Requirements
Before you begin searching for a collaborating physician, the most important step is understanding your state’s regulatory landscape. Nurse practitioners and physician associates face a patchwork of laws across the U.S., and these rules determine whether you need a collaborating physician.
Broadly, states fall into three categories:
Full Practice Authority – NPs may diagnose, treat, and prescribe independently. PAs may still need supervision, but oversight is generally less restrictive.
Reduced Practice – NPs and PAs can evaluate and treat independently but require a physician agreement for certain functions, often tied to prescriptive authority.
Restricted Practice – Collaboration or supervision is required for nearly all aspects of care, including prescribing. These states often also set limits on how many NPs or PAs a physician can oversee.
Even within these categories, the specifics vary. Some states require annual in-person meetings, while others mandate detailed prescribing protocols or ongoing chart reviews. Prescriptive authority can be an important factor, determining whether you can prescribe independently, prescribe only certain drug classes, or must always do so under a collaborating physician’s oversight.
Because regulations change frequently, it’s not enough to know your state’s rules once. Staying current is crucial for both compliance and patient safety.
2. Identify Your Practice Needs
Not every physician will be the right collaborator. Consider the following when searching:
Clinical scope: Does the physician’s specialty align with your practice (e.g., family medicine, psychiatry, women’s health)?
Capacity: Many states limit how many NPs or PAs one physician may collaborate with.
Geography: Some states require proximity or in-state licensure.
Prescribing protocols: Will the physician support your full prescribing needs, including controlled substances if allowed?
Commitment: Collaboration may include chart reviews, meetings, or quality assurance protocols.
Clearly defining these needs will narrow your search and improve the likelihood of a great match.
3. Research Potential Collaborating Physicians
Traditionally, many NPs and PAs have found collaborating physicians through word of mouth. Asking colleagues, mentors, or local health systems for help can still be useful.
But finding the right collaborating physician often requires casting a wide net. Consider looking in these places:
Professional referrals: Ask colleagues, mentors, or local health systems for referrals. Personal connections often lead to the strongest partnerships.
Networking events and conferences: National and state-level NP, PA, and physician association meetings are great venues to connect with physicians who are open to collaboration.
Professional associations: Organizations such as the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP), state NP associations, or the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) sometimes facilitate introductions or maintain referral lists.
Local medical societies and hospitals: Many medical societies and hospital systems can provide leads on physicians available for collaboration.
Digital marketplaces: Online platforms like Zivian Health now connect NPs and PAs with credentialed, vetted physicians nationwide, with built-in compliance support for agreements and oversight.
By combining referrals, professional networking, organizational resources, and digital tools, you improve your chances of finding a good match for a collaborating physician that meets state requirements and aligns with your practice goals.
4. Interview Your Potential Collaborating Physician
Once you’ve identified a potential physician match, the next step is to make sure the relationship will work. A collaborating agreement is both a legal document and an ongoing professional partnership. Taking the time to ask thoughtful questions early can prevent misunderstandings later.
When you meet with a potential collaborator, focus on clarifying expectations in a few key areas:
Clinical scope: Are they comfortable overseeing the patient populations, conditions, and procedures you manage in daily practice?
Prescriptive authority: Will they support the full range of prescribing you need, including controlled substances where permitted?
Oversight and communication: How often will they review charts or meet with you, and what methods (secure messaging, calls, in-person sessions) will they use for ongoing communication?
Capacity and availability: How many NPs or PAs do they already collaborate with, and do they have bandwidth to provide quick support?
Regulatory and compliance experience: Are they familiar with your state’s collaboration rules, board filings, and audit requirements?
Practice philosophy: Do you share an aligned approach to patient care and mutual respect for each other’s expertise?
Approaching this step as a two-way interview will set the tone for a respectful, sustainable relationship.
5. Create a Clear Agreement
Once you’ve identified a physician, the next step is formalizing the collaboration. Collaboration agreements typically include the following information:
Scope of practice and clinical protocols
Prescriptive authority details like formularies, controlled substance limits, and oversight requirements
Documentation and chart review requirements
Frequency of meetings or check-ins
Contingency plans for physician absence
Because state boards review agreements in detail, even small errors or omissions can lead to delays or outright denials of applications. Missing a signature, leaving out prescribing protocols, or even simple typos can create issues.
Using digital tools and platforms to manage this step can reduce the risk of delay. In fact, Zivian Health handles this step for you, so you don’t have to worry if you’ve got it right.
6. Maintain Your Relationship and Ongoing Compliance
Finding a collaborating physician is only half the battle. Maintaining the relationship is equally important.
From a compliance standpoint, most states require regular activities like chart reviews, protocol updates, or board resubmissions when there are changes in scope or practice location. Missing these steps can delay reimbursement, trigger audits, or even put your license at risk. Using digital tools can help simplify the process by organizing documentation, providing timely reminders, and creating audit-ready records.
But collaboration isn’t only about meeting regulatory requirements. Strong working relationships thrive on clear communication, mutual respect, and aligned expectations. Scheduling regular check-ins will create trust and help address issues before they become problems.
A successful collaboration balances the technical side of compliance with the human side of partnership.
Find a Collaborating Physician with Zivian Health
At Zivian Health, we strive to remove compliance as a barrier to care. We connect NPs, PAs, and their organizations with a nationwide network of experienced collaborating physicians.
We can match most advanced practice providers with a physician in 7 days or less, with no upfront or matching fees.
Our compliance platform supports every stage of the process — we create state-specific agreements, manage board filings, and provide tools for ongoing compliance tracking. Zivian also enables secure communication and chart reviews while maintaining thorough documentation and exportable audit logs.
With real-time compliance tracking built in, providers and organizations can operate with the knowledge that their collaborations are legally sound and audit-ready.
With Zivian, providers can spend less time chasing paperwork and more time doing what matters most: caring for patients. Connect with our team today!
