A health care practitioner that is not a physician but practices in collaboration with or under the supervision of a physician, including:

States regulate the licensing, scope of practice, and physician supervision requirements for these types of practitioners. For more information on state requirements regarding non-physician practitioners, see Non-Physician Practitioners: State Q&A Tool.

Billing and payment for these types of practitioners differs based on the health care payor. Some of these practitioners can bill Medicare, while others cannot (see Practice Note, Medicare Billing for Non-Physician Practitioners). Some payors follow the Medicare requirements and other payors (including Medicaid payors) have their own requirements for billing for these practitioners.