NP · Rhode Island
Collaborative Drug Therapy Management for Nurse Practitioners in Rhode Island
No. Nurse Practitioners here prescribe and adjust drug therapy on their own authority. Rhode Island does not require one.
R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-34-44: APRNs are 'licensed, independent practitioners' — no collaborative agreement with a physician is required to practice full scope, regardless of experience. RI has been a Full Practice Authority state for NPs since 2013.
What the physician relationship 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
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
§ 5-34-49: Certified Nurse Practitioners may prescribe legend medications and Schedule II–V controlled substances, and MAY BE SEPARATELY CERTIFIED to prescribe Schedule I — an unusually broad grant; confirm current Schedule I certification requirements with the Board before relying on this for a specific patient population.
Written agreement
Not required
Unconditional — § 5-34-44 defines APRN practice as independent from licensure; no collaborative agreement is required at any point.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Professional Service Corporation under R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-5.1-1 et seq. — registered nurses (which includes APRNs practicing under an RN license with an advanced-practice endorsement) are listed among the eligible healing-arts licensees for a multi-service PSC.
Sources for the supervision rules (3)
What a collaborating physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Rhode Island
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Nurse Practitioner. Standard-tier state.
About Rhode Island's rules
RI is a Full Practice Authority state for NP/CNM (R.I. Gen. Laws § 5-34-44) and, since a 2019 reform (§ 5-54-8), no longer requires PAs to have a written practice agreement — 'collaboration' with an always-accessible physician replaced supervision and hospital ratio caps. CRNAs are the exception: RI has NOT taken the Medicare physician-supervision opt-out, and CRNA scope is statutorily bounded to the perioperative period.
Other clinicians in Rhode Island: see the state overview.