Signing for a Physician Assistant in Colorado: what the physician takes on

No proximity requirement

Fetched 3 CCR 713-1.15 Section C in full: no PA-reachability/telecommunication standard exists in the current rule — the pre-2023 'readily available by telephone, radio, pager, or other telecommunication device' language (3 CCR 713-7.1(D)(8)(b)) was not carried forward into the recodification. The only proximity-adjacent text left is § C(3)(a)'s requirement that the collaborating physician maintain 'a regular and reliable physical presence in Colorado' (telehealth-only practice doesn't satisfy it) — but that governs the physician's own general CO practice, not reachability to this specific PA, so it doesn't amount to a proximity rule in this field's sense.

Every 6 months, in person or via telehealth

§ 12-240-114.5(2)(b)(I)(C) requires formal performance evaluations at 6 months and again at 12 months, with 'additional evaluation thereafter' left unspecified in frequency — coded BIANNUAL for the confirmed first-year cadence, though the ongoing frequency after year one isn't fixed by statute. Acceptable evaluation methods include 'chart review with identification of charts reviewed' (3 CCR 713-1.15(C)(3)(b)(4)) — an available method, not a mandated percentage/quota (see the empty `chartReview` list above). The first 160 practice hours for a newly practicing or practice-area-changing PA must be completed in person or via technology (§ 12-240-114.5(2)(b)(I)(A)).

Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted

No Colorado-specific schedule restriction (e.g., a Texas-style Schedule-II hospital/hospice limit) was located for PAs in this pass — this doesn't confirm one doesn't exist, only that this research pass didn't verify the full current text of § 12-240-107(6)/-113 closely enough to rule it out. Flag as unconfirmed if load-bearing.

Licensee-only ownership required — Professional service corporation, LLC, or registered LLP organized solely for the practice of medicine (C.R.S. § 12-240-138) — shareholders must be Colorado-licensed physicians, with a named exception letting one or more PAs hold shares as long as physician-shareholders keep majority ownership (§ 12-240-138(1)(d)(I)). An heir may hold non-voting shares for up to 2 years after a physician-shareholder's death regardless of licensure (§ 12-240-138(1)(d)(II)).

A 2026 bill (HB26-1249) would have let PAs (and estheticians/RNs/APRNs) become shareholders in corporations organized solely to provide medical-aesthetic services — postponed indefinitely by a 13-0 House Health & Human Services Committee vote on 3/25/2026, so current ownership law is unchanged.