Collaboration for Advanced Practitioners

A collaborating physician is an MD or DO who has agreed to “collaborate,” or supervise your clinical work in a given state or states where you are both licensed. Collaborating means fulfilling the legal requirements of a physician collaborating with an NP or PA, but CollaborateMD League tries to go beyond this baseline requirement and build truly empowering and meaningful relationships.

The key components of a collaborating relationship can vary depending on your state’s regulations, your organization’s expectations, your clinical specialty, your scope of practice, and the professional relationship you develop. However, some features of a collaborative relationship that CollaborateMD League always encourages include:

A Collaborating Agreement: A contract between you and your collaborating physician that includes both of your responsibilities and an outline of your clinical protocol.

Check-Ins: Meeting with your provider at a regular cadence, typically via teleconference. Check-ins are a great time to ask both clinical and professional development questions, and they are a chance for the clinician and the physician to develop a long-term relationship.

Advice: Your collaborator will be available to answer your medical and patient care questions.

Chart Review: Your physician will be required to conduct a specific number of monthly chart reviews.

Short answer–it depends!

Certain states require that a physician (MD or DO) serve permanently in this role for NPs and PAs to help ensure you are meeting the standard of care, and support you when needed. Other states require a collaborating physician for a specific duration or in certain prescribing contexts, and some states allow full autonomy for NPs specifically.

Although a collaborating physician is not strictly required for all NPs and PAs, CollaborateMD League believes a productive collaboration can bring tremendous value to many clinicians and organizations.

No, we do not require an initiation fee beyond the agreed upon fee in the service agreement. If additional services or collaborations are needed beyond what was initially discussed, additional fees may be included. However, prior to billing, all fees are captured in the service agreement.

Yes, all physicians are verified and credentialed by CollaborateMD League prior to being enrolled.

This depends on state regulations. In many states, NPs and physicians are not required to have matching specialties in order to collaborate. In some states, such as Georgia, NPs are required to have physician collaborators with comparable specialties. Our role is to help make sure you are matched with a physician that meets all the regulatory requirements so you don’t have to worry.

All of these variables are taken into consideration during the matching process.

At CollaborateMD League, we're committed to simplifying your journey. No need to worry about finding your own legal team or physician – we've got you covered. Our goal is to make the process as seamless as possible for you.

1. Complete our intake form which helps us determine your needs.

2. Agree to your monthly cost to collaborate with a physician that meets your needs.

3. Create a CollaborateMD League profile to start the credentialing process and submit required documentation.

4. Meet-and-Greet with your physician match

5. Sign Collaboration Agreement

6. Start collaborating!

We also provide guidance and training on how to have a helpful, supportive and mutually rich collaboration with your physician collaborator.

After all required documents are signed, you will be placed into our matching queue.

In most cases, we find matches in 7-10 days. However, if you practice in a state with more stringent regulations, it might take additional time to find a suitable collaborator who aligns with diverse geographic and meeting prerequisites.

We provide regular updates for all providers in the matching queue and will work with you if we anticipate any issues with finding you a good physician collaborator.

Yes. If you plan on prescribing controlled substances, we will match you with a physician that is open to supervising your controlled substance prescriptions. In Texas, physicians would prescribe Schedule II controlled substances on your behalf.

Yes. We require that you have an introductory meeting with your assigned collaborating physician before your collaboration may begin.

After a potential collaboration is identified, you will receive an email requesting you to schedule time with your assigned physician collaborator. This is a good time for you to ask questions about the collaboration, understand their role and see if a collaboration will benefit you and your needs.

After you meet, both you and the physician will have the option to accept the collaboration and sign the proposed collaborative agreement, which will also be shared with you for signature.

Yes, you will add your collaborating physician to your medical malpractice policy.

You and your physician should set expectations of acceptable response times and availability. Typically physicians will respond in 24 hours or shorter depending on the specialty and nature of the question or issue.

Yes. If you feel that your assigned collaborating physician is not a suitable match either after the initial meeting or after you have signed a collaboration agreement, we are happy to help you find another collaborator. If you have any concerns at any point, please let us know so that we may try to remedy the situation.

We recommend all physicians schedule the monthly collaborative meetings with each provider by having them book through the physician’s calendar link. Our general recommendation is to use a calendar system that supports group meetings. It is the responsibility of the physician to ensure these meetings occur, as tracked and attested to in the CollaborateMD League platform.

Your collaborating physician will help you with your clinical questions, both about specific patients and about your medical knowledge. Even if they do not know the answer to a question, CollaborateMD League has a very diverse roster of specialists whom your collaborator can rely on for additional support. Many collaborators will also be helpful in sharing advice on your professional development!

Charts can be shared via CollaborateMD League's platform. Our platform allows APPs to upload and share charts with their collaborating physicians.

You may reach out to Info@collaboratemdleague.com at any time to request updates to your agreement or to request additional collaborations. Please send us a message about the state needed and the number of practice locations that you will need coverage for.

Please reach out to Info@collaboratemdleague.com at any time if you are experiencing difficulties reaching out to your physician collaborator.

CollaborateMD League will send you an invoice via Bill.com and you will be able to set up your payment method and schedule your payment via Bill.com’s interface in accordance with the invoice sent to you.

Yes, if your collaboration starts mid-month, you will be charged a prorated amount in your first invoice.

Fees are due the 5th of the month. CollaborateMD League invoices for the month in advance.

Usually, the monthly meetings are virtual. However, some providers and physicians prefer to meet in person.