In NY, does a physician have to cosign all prescriptions written by a PA?

• A. Yes
• B. No, only if the institution requires it
• C. Not applicable, PA cosigns for all
• D. Only for controlled substances

Answer: (B)

In New York, physician assistants have prescriptive authority under physician supervision, but there isn’t a blanket state requirement that a physician must cosign every prescription a PA writes. Whether a cosignature is needed depends on the specific practice setting and the supervising physician’s policy. Some institutions require cosignatures for all prescriptions or for certain categories (like controlled substances), while others do not. So the correct idea is that cosignature happens only if the institution’s policies require it, not automatically by law.