PharmD · District of Columbia
Collaborative Drug Therapy Management for Pharmacists in District of Columbia
Yes, a written agreement with a physician is required before you manage drug therapy. District of Columbia calls it a Collaborative Practice Agreement.
Represents DC's optional pharmacist-physician Collaborative Practice Agreement (CPA) tier under § 3-1202.08, not ordinary pharmacist licensure — base dispensing needs no such agreement and is out of scope here. The CPA is elective for both parties and has no independence pathway once entered.
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
Under a CPA the pharmacist may initiate, modify or discontinue drug therapy for the physician's patients on the agreement's terms (§ 3-1202.08; 17 DCMR Ch. 100; 22-B DCMR Ch. 10006). This is drug-therapy management under a protocol approved by the Board of Pharmacy and the Board of Medicine, not independent DEA-registered controlled-substance prescribing, so controlled substances are shown as not allowed; whether CPA terms may extend to them is not settled.
Written agreement
Required
Only required if the pharmacist and physician elect to engage in collaborative drug therapy management under § 3-1202.08 — a pharmacist's base license and general dispensing authority need no agreement at all.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Non-licensee ownership permitted — No pharmacist-ownership requirement identified for DC pharmacy permits
Materially more permissive than the healing-arts CPOM regime governing PA/NP/CRNA/CNM/CNS above, if confirmed.
Sources for the supervision rules (2)
- D.C. Code § 3-1202.08 — Board of Pharmacy (collaborative practice agreements)
- 22-B DCMR Ch. 10006 / 17 DCMR Ch. 100 — Collaborative Practice Agreements Between Physicians and Pharmacists
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in District of Columbia
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Pharmacist. Standard-tier state.
About District of Columbia's rules
The Health Occupations Revision Amendment Act of 2024 repealed D.C. Code § 3-1206.03, removing the collaboration mandate for every APRN category (NP, PMHNP, CRNA, CNM, CNS); DC is now a full-practice-authority jurisdiction for APRNs. PAs are not covered by that reform and still need a Board of Medicine Delegation Agreement regardless of experience.
Other clinicians in District of Columbia: see the state overview.