Protocol · NP · Arizona
Practice Protocol for Nurse Practitioners in Arizona
Nurse Practitioners practice independently in Arizona. A practice protocol is voluntary; here is what one covers and what the state does require.
A.R.S. § 32-1601 defines registered nurse practitioner scope — including diagnosis and prescribing — with no collaborative or supervisory agreement mentioned; NPs need only consult/refer within normal professional judgment, the same standard a physician follows.
What a voluntary Nurse Practitioner protocol covers in Arizona
Arizona requires no written protocol for nurse practitioners. These are the clauses a practice includes when it chooses to put one in writing. The Arizona State Board of Nursing and the Arizona State Board of Pharmacy governs nurse practitioners here.
Arizona does not require the Nurse Practitioner to enter into a collaboration or supervision agreement with a physician. The Nurse Practitioner practices, diagnoses, and prescribes, including Schedule II through V controlled substances with a DEA registration, under the Nurse Practitioner's own license, consistent with A.R.S. § 32-1601 et seq.
This Agreement's terms regarding the Nurse Practitioner accordingly serve to define the working relationship, referral pathways, and any Medical Director oversight between the Parties, and are not themselves required by Arizona law as a condition of the Nurse Practitioner's authority to practice.
- A voluntary protocol also carries 1 scope, 1 education and 1 registration clauses, authored in the document itself.
What Arizona does require
The supervision and prescribing rules that apply to nurse practitioners regardless of any protocol.
Proximity
No proximity requirement
No supervising-physician relationship exists to have a proximity standard for.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
Not codified
Meeting cadence
Not codified
Prescriptive authority
No agreement needed to prescribe · controlled substances permitted
Legend drugs, devices, and controlled substances within RNP scope per board requirements (AZBN prescribing-requirements guidance; A.A.C. R4-19-511). DEA registration and AZ CSPMP enrollment required to prescribe controlled substances; ≥3 hrs opioid/SUD CE required to prescribe Schedule II.
Written agreement
Not required
Unconditional — no AZ statute conditions NP practice on a collaborative or supervisory agreement with a physician.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Non-licensee ownership permitted — A.R.S. § 10-3301 permits a corporation to engage in the practice of medicine/nursing so long as services are delivered only through individuals licensed in Arizona; no numeric ownership cap was confirmed in the primary text located.
See the ≤49%/≥50% ownership-split caveat on the `pa` entry's CPOM notes — same unconfirmed secondary-source figure would apply here if real.
Sources for the supervision rules (3)
- A.R.S. § 32-1601 — Definitions (Nursing, Title 32 Ch. 15)
- A.A.C. R4-19-511 — Prescribing Requirements
- Arizona State Board of Nursing — Prescribing Requirements guidance
About Arizona's rules
Arizona has no explicit statutory CPOM ban; existing doctrine comes only from two optometry cases never applied to physician/PA ownership, making MSO tolerance a reasonable inference rather than a confirmed rule. NP/CNM/PMHNP have FULL practice authority with no collaborative agreement. PA's 2024 reform (A.R.S. Title 32 Ch. 25) removes the written agreement at 8,000 hours but still requires a designated collaborating physician/entity.
Other clinicians in Arizona: see the state overview.