Physician duties · CNM · Rhode Island
Signing for a Certified Nurse-Midwife in Rhode Island: what the physician takes on
No agreement is required, so the terms are whatever you both negotiate. Certified Nurse-Midwives practice independently in Rhode Island, so any agreement is voluntary.
R.I. Gen. Laws Ch. 23-13: midwifery is 'the independent management of cases of childbirth' and well-woman care, with 'full independent practice and prescriptive authority.' Licensure requires 'evidence of prearranged provision for collaboration with a physician' — a referral relationship on file, not an ongoing supervisory gate on day-to-day practice.
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
Not codified — left to the agreement
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
Covered by the practice agreement · controlled substances permitted
May prescribe all legend medications and may apply for authorization to prescribe Schedule II–V controlled substances (Ch. 23-13; § 5-34-49).
Written agreement
Not required
No day-to-day supervisory agreement gates CNM practice. But licensure itself requires documenting a prearranged collaboration/referral relationship with a physician — distinct from the PA/pharmacist agreements above, which govern ongoing practice rather than a one-time licensure condition.
Practice ownership (corporate practice of medicine)
Licensee-only ownership required — Professional Service Corporation under R.I. Gen. Laws § 7-5.1-1 et seq. — 'midwives or nurse-midwives' are explicitly listed among the eligible healing-arts licensees.
Legal sources for these rules (2)
What physicians charge for this role
Typical monthly compensation in Rhode Island
$500 – $600
Estimate for one Certified Nurse-Midwife. 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.