PharmD · Iowa
Collaborative Drug Therapy Management for Pharmacists in Iowa
Yes, a written agreement with a physician is required before you manage drug therapy. Iowa calls it a Written Collaborative Pharmacy Practice Agreement.
Represents Iowa's collaborative pharmacy practice tier, not ordinary licensure — base dispensing needs no agreement and is out of scope here. The Board declined to authorize PAs (who lack independent prescribing authority) as collaborating practitioners; only independent prescribers may enter a CPA. No independence pathway away from the CPA was found.
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 · controlled substances permitted
May provide patient care and drug-therapy-management services not otherwise permitted to a pharmacist, within the CPA's defined scope (Iowa Admin. Code 657—8.34). Controlled-substance schedule limits within a CPA are not stated in the rule.
Written agreement
Required
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Non-licensee ownership permitted — Iowa pharmacy permits do not require pharmacist ownership of the permit-holding entity; a licensed pharmacist-in-charge must retain professional control over dispensing (Iowa Code Ch. 155A).
Sources for the supervision rules (1)
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Iowa
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Pharmacist. Standard-tier state.
About Iowa's rules
Iowa APRNs (NP/CRNA/CNM/CNS) may practice, diagnose, and independently prescribe (including controlled substances, with DEA/Board of Pharmacy registration) with no collaborative agreement required by the Board of Nursing — a voluntary agreement is permitted but optional. PAs remain supervised_only under a 5-PA-per-physician cap (Iowa Code Ch. 148C).
Other clinicians in Iowa: see the state overview.