Physician duties · PMHNP · Kentucky
Signing for a Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner in Kentucky: what the physician takes on
The agreement is mandatory for the clinician, which makes its duties mandatory for you. Kentucky does not name a specific instrument.
Kentucky's APRN statute (KRS 314.042) does not differentiate PMHNPs from general NPs — identical CAPA-NS/CAPA-CS framework, same 4-year exit thresholds, no PMHNP-specific ratio or proximity rule found. This entry exists for its own page/calculator weight, not a codified legal distinction.
Independent practice requires: same ≥4-year CAPA-NS and ≥4-year CAPA-CS thresholds as general NPs (KRS 314.042) — no separate PMHNP pathway or timeline exists.
What you take on as the physician
The rules the physician relationship has to follow. Each fact comes from the statute or board rule listed under sources.
Proximity
No proximity requirement
Same standard as general NPs — no supervision requirement for diagnosis/treatment; no proximity standard codified for the CAPA relationship itself.
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
nonscheduled legend drugs, before 4 years under a CAPA-NS: Separate prescribing terms required · no controlled-substance authority
Same statutory framework as general NPs (KRS 314.042).
Schedule II–V controlled substances, before 4 years under a CAPA-CS: Separate prescribing terms required · controlled substances permitted
Same DEA/KASPER requirements as general NPs. PMHNP prescribing in practice skews toward Schedule II stimulants and Schedule IV benzodiazepines more heavily than general primary-care NP prescribing — not a different legal limit, a different real-world risk profile (reflected in calculatorWeights, not this rule).
after the applicable 4-year CAPA-NS/CAPA-CS threshold is met: Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
Same independent-exit mechanism as general NPs.
Written agreement
Required
Same branch as general NP: no agreement needed to diagnose/treat; CAPA-NS and CAPA-CS are each required only for their respective prescribing category, each independently exitable after 4 years (KRS 314.042).
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Same as the general `np` entry — Professional LLC (KRS Ch. 275) or PSC (KRS Ch. 274); nurses are explicitly eligible owners. KY's APRN statute doesn't distinguish PMHNP from other NP population foci for ownership purposes.
Legal sources for these rules (3)
What physicians charge for this role
Typical monthly compensation in Kentucky
$500 – $650
Estimate for one Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner. This state's proximity rules add a small premium.
About Kentucky's rules
KY's PSC/PLLC statutes (KRS Ch. 274, 275) are commonly read to restrict ownership to persons rendering the 'same or related' professional service — a physician generally cannot co-own a single PSC/PLLC with a PA or APRN, unlike NC/VA's explicit combination statutes. Secondary-sourced interpretation, not a confirmed ruling — verify before relying on it. Kentucky opted out of the federal Medicare CRNA supervision requirement in April 2012; facilities may still impose their own.
Other clinicians in Kentucky: see the state overview.