PA · Tennessee
Supervision Agreement for Physician Assistants in Tennessee
Yes, a written supervising-physician agreement is required. Tennessee does not name a specific instrument.
No independent-practice pathway for PAs was found in this research pass. TN's Board of Medical Examiners regulates PA supervision under a parallel structure to its NP collaboration rules, but this pass could only directly confirm PA-specific detail for continuing-education hours — the chart-review/site-visit figures below are inferred from the parallel NP framework, not independently confirmed for PAs.
What the supervision must look like
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
On-site presence required
Inferred from TN's parallel APRN rule requiring the collaborating/supervising physician to make an in-person visit to a remote practice site every 30 days (up to 10 of the required annual visits may occur via HIPAA-compliant telehealth) — this research pass could not directly confirm this cadence applies identically to PA supervision; verify against TN Comp. R. & Regs. Ch. 1130-01 before relying on it.
Supervision ratio
Not codified — no cap on file
Chart review
20% of charts · Monthly · countersignature required
Inferred from TN's parallel APRN chart-review rule (physician must personally review ≥20% of charts every 30 days, plus 100% of controlled-substance charts, with additional review every 10 business days under specified trigger conditions) — not independently confirmed as identical for PA supervision in this research pass; verify against TN Comp. R. & Regs. Ch. 1130-01.
Meeting cadence
Not codified — left to the agreement
Prescriptive authority
Separate prescribing terms required · controlled substances permitted
The Schedule II-V vs. II-IV discrepancy between secondary sources was not resolved against primary rule text in this pass — verify current scope with the Board before relying on this for a specific prescription.
Written agreement
Required
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Professional Corporation or PLLC 100% owned by physicians licensed to practice medicine in TN. Unusually strict compared to most states in this dataset: 'a professional corporation in Tennessee may only practice a single profession' — a PA cannot be a co-owner of the PC even alongside physicians.
Violating TN's Practice of Medicine statute (TCA § 63-6-204) is a Class B misdemeanor.
Legal sources for these rules (3)
- Tenn. Code Ann. § 63-6-204 — Practice of Medicine Act (corporate practice of medicine)
- Tenn. Comp. R. & Regs. Ch. 1130-01 — General Rules Governing the Practice of a Physician Assistant (chart-review/site-visit specifics not independently confirmed against this chapter's text in this pass)secondary
- Permit Health — Tennessee Corporate Practice of Medicine (CPOM) Guidesecondary
What a supervising physician costs here
Typical monthly cost in Tennessee
$600 – $900
Estimate for one Physician Assistant. This state's rules add a restrictive-tier premium.
About Tennessee's rules
TN is a restricted-practice state for NPs — no independence pathway exists. Physicians must personally review ≥20% of an APRN's charts every 30 days (100% of controlled-substance charts) and visit remote practice sites in person every 30 days. TN has an explicit, unambiguous corporate-practice-of-medicine ban (statute, case law, and AG opinions; TCA § 63-6-204) — a professional corporation may practice only a single profession.
Other clinicians in Tennessee: see the state overview.