1. (a) Until January 1, 2027, a New Hampshire licensed physician associate with more than 8,000 post-graduate clinical practice hours who intends to practice in a setting that does not have at least one licensed New Hampshire physician in the group, practice, or health system may request the board of medicine to waive the collaboration agreement requirement.

2. (b) The physician associate shall complete and submit the board’s “Waiver Form”, along with the following:

   1. (1) The information specified in (c), below;
   2. (2) The documentation specified in (d), below; and
   3. (3) The signature of the physician associate who is requesting the waiver attesting they will "continue to practice according to their training and hours accumulated".

3. (c) The information required by (b)(1), above, shall be:

   1. (1) The physician associate’s name, preferred e-mail address, and license number;
   2. (2) The name of the group, practice, or health system, that the physician associate is employed by, and their physical location, mailing address, and telephone number;
   3. (3) The physician associate’s primary area of medical practice; and
   4. (4) Confirmation that that there is not a New Hampshire licensed physician on staff at this listed group, practice, or health system location by marking the checkbox on the form.

4. (d) The documentation required by (b)(2), above, shall be:

   1. (1) Proof of malpractice insurance, in the form of a copy of the malpractice insurance declaration page that includes the premium amount and coverage limits; and

   2. (2) Proof of the required post-graduate clinical practice hours, in the form of either:

      1. a. A letter signed by the manager of the physician associate’s medical office, hospital administration, department chair, or collaborating physician that the physician associate has accrued the requisite hours; or
      2. b. A notarized affidavit affirming, under penalty of law, that the physician associate has accrued the requisite hours and that shows the hours earned by practice name, dates of service, employment status, and total clinical hours earned.
5. (e) The physician associate may include information regarding additional training and qualifications or other relevant evidence to support the waiver request.

6. (f) Upon receipt of a waiver request, the board’s administrator shall:

   1. (1) Review the requestor’s file to determine whether the requestor is in good standing and whether the requestor is the subject of a pending active investigation or disciplinary action; and
   2. (2) Provide the information to the board.

7. (g) The board shall review a waiver request at the first board meeting that is at least 10 business days following receiving notification from the office of professional licensure and certification (OPLC):

   1. (1) Confirming that the application is complete; and
   2. (2) Determining that the applicant’s license is in good standing and is not the subject of a pending investigation or disciplinary action.

8. (h) The board shall approve the request and grant the waiver request if the requestor:

   1. (1) Has submitted a complete request that demonstrates the requestor’s qualifications;
   2. (2) Is in good standing; and
   3. (3) Is not the subject of a pending investigation or disciplinary action.
9. (i) If the board is unable to determine that the criteria for approval in (g), above, are met, the board shall request further information from the requestor.

10. (j) The board shall notify the requestor of its decision. If the requested waiver is denied, the notification shall:

    1. (1) Identify each reason why the request was denied; and
    2. (2) Inform the requestor that a rehearing request shall be filed within 30 days in accordance with Plc 206.31.
11. (k) A physician associate whose waiver request is denied may re-apply for a waiver after the reason(s) for the denial have been addressed.
12. (l) Waivers shall expire on a date specified by the board that is not later than December 31, 2026.

Source. #14142, INTERIM, eff 12-5-24, EXPIRES: 6-3-25 (Remains in effect per RSA 541-A:14-a); ss by #14395, eff 10-2-25, EXPIRES: 10-2-35