PharmD · Arizona
Collaborative Drug Therapy Management for Pharmacists in Arizona
Yes, a written agreement with a physician is required before you manage drug therapy. Arizona calls it a Collaborative Practice Agreement.
Represents Arizona's Collaborative Practice Agreement (CPA) tier (A.R.S. § 32-1970), not ordinary dispensing licensure. CPA scope is permanently agreement-dependent with no independence pathway; pharmacist must follow the provider's written guidelines and may not deviate from them.
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
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Covered by the practice agreement · no controlled-substance authority
The statute itself does not address controlled-substance schedules; Board of Pharmacy rules in A.A.C. Title 4, Ch. 23 may govern this. Treat the controlled-substances entry as unsettled rather than as a denial.
Written agreement
Required
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Non-licensee ownership permitted — Pharmacy permit and ownership rules in A.A.C. Title 4, Ch. 23
Sources for the supervision rules (1)
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Arizona
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Pharmacist. Standard-tier state.
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.