If you're managing a Wyoming medical practice, you know the compliance anxiety well. You're tracking triennial physician license renewals with hard June 30 deadlines, filing annual reports on precise anniversary dates, and maintaining 100% professional ownership at all times. Miss a single renewal deadline, and your entity faces administrative dissolution.
Wyoming law recognizes three professional entity types for healthcare organizations under Title 17 of Wyoming Statutes. Professional Corporations are governed by W.S. §§ 17-3-101 through 17-3-104, which mandate exclusive ownership by licensed professionals and require "Professional Corporation" or "P.C." in the entity name. Professional Limited Liability Companies operate under the Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act (Title 17, Chapter 29), requiring professional services to be offered only through licensed members or employees. Registered Limited Liability Partnerships are authorized under W.S. § 17-21-1101, providing liability protection while maintaining professional accountability. Unlike some states, Wyoming does not recognize "Professional Association (PA)" as a separate legal entity designation.
Wyoming's Professional Corporation statute creates strict ownership and governance requirements for medical practices. W.S. § 17-3-101 permits corporations to practice professions only if stock is owned exclusively by licensed professionals. This ownership restriction is absolute; any dilution violates the statute and jeopardizes entity standing.
W.S. § 17-3-102 maintains personal professional liability for licensed professionals despite the corporate structure, ensuring that physicians remain personally accountable for their professional conduct. The corporate veil protects shareholders from general business liabilities but provides no shield for malpractice or professional misconduct. W.S. § 17-3-103 mandates that the corporate name include either "A Professional Corporation" (spelled out in full) or "P.C." as initials, a non-negotiable naming requirement. Articles of incorporation must contain specific language certifying that all shareholders are licensed professionals and that professional services will be rendered only by or under the supervision of licensed individuals, per W.S. § 17-3-104.
The Wyoming Limited Liability Company Act provides an alternative structure for healthcare practices seeking liability protection with different governance flexibility. Professional Limited Liability Companies (PLLCs) must ensure that professional services are delivered exclusively through licensed members or employees who maintain current licenses. This structure requires ongoing verification that all practicing members and employees retain current, active licenses.
Licensed members retain personal liability for their professional activities, consistent with Wyoming's professional liability framework. While the PLLC structure provides protection from general business debts and obligations, it offers no immunity from professional malpractice claims. The governance advantage of PLLCs lies in their flexible management structures; unlike professional corporations with mandatory boards of directors, PLLCs can be member-managed or manager-managed according to the operating agreement.
Healthcare professionals may also form Registered Limited Liability Partnerships under W.S. § 17-21-1101. This structure applies general partnership liability rules with statutory liability protection for partners, making it suitable for multi-physician practices that prefer partnership governance. Partners remain liable for their own professional conduct while gaining protection from other partners' professional liabilities in most circumstances.
Wyoming enforces Corporate Practice of Medicine restrictions through a dual regulatory framework. The Wyoming Board of Medicine Rules and Regulations (April 16, 2011) administratively prohibit non-physician ownership of medical practices and the corporate practice of medicine. Combined with W.S. § 17-3-101, these rules subject licensed professionals to all licensing board standards.
This means direct corporate employment of physicians by non-physician entities violates Wyoming's regulatory framework as established by the Board of Medicine rules and Wyoming Statutes § 17-3-101. A lay-owned corporation cannot employ physicians to provide medical services, regardless of contract structure. However, physician-owned professional corporations operating under proper governance structures remain compliant. MSO arrangements require legal counsel consultation due to lack of official Board guidance.
When you're ready to form your Wyoming professional corporation, expect processing to take up to 15 business days after the Secretary of State receives your Articles of Incorporation. Expedited processing is not available for professional entities. Initial formation costs are $150–$180, with annual report fees of $60 minimum and no franchise tax.
The total minimum cost for initial formation is $150 ($100 filing fee plus $50 registered agent annual registration), or $180 with optional name reservation ($30). Including the first annual report, your healthcare entity should budget a minimum of $210 for first-year compliance costs. Payment methods for online filings include Visa, MasterCard, and authorized debit cards. Paper filings require checks or money orders payable to "Wyoming Secretary of State."
Articles of incorporation must include the corporation name, registered agent information with physical Wyoming address, mailing address, principal office location, share structure, and incorporator names and signatures. Notably, Wyoming requires an email address for electronic service of process per W.S. 17-28-104(e), reflecting the state's modernized filing requirements.
Your Wyoming healthcare entity must file annual reports on the first day of the anniversary month of formation. If you formed your practice in March, your annual report is due by March 1st each year—no extensions, no grace period beyond the 60-day delinquency window. The annual report fee is $60.00 minimum or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar ($0.0002) of Wyoming assets, whichever is greater. The WyoBiz Annual Report portal provides electronic filing capabilities for this requirement.
The annual report fee structure uses a minimum threshold system. Entities with $300,000 or less in Wyoming assets pay the $60 minimum fee. Larger entities pay $0.0002 per dollar of total Wyoming assets when assets exceed $300,000 (two-tenths of one mill on the dollar). This asset-based calculation creates predictable compliance costs that scale with entity size. Your entity becomes delinquent on the second day of the month following the due date, and the Secretary of State may administratively dissolve entities that fail to file within 60 days after the deadline.
Wyoming imposes no franchise tax or business license tax on professional entities, per the Wyoming Department of Revenue. This eliminates an entire category of annual compliance obligations present in other states such as California, which imposes a minimum $800 annual franchise tax. Your healthcare organization benefits from this simplified tax environment, avoiding the complex calculations and substantial costs associated with franchise tax compliance required in other jurisdictions.
Effective July 1, 2024:
House Bill 0015 established a two-year time limit for health insurers to seek reimbursement for overpayments except in cases of fraud. This provides payment certainty for healthcare providers and reduces the administrative burden of responding to years-old reimbursement demands. House Bill 0025 requires health insurers to respond to state inquiries within 60 days and prohibits denial of Medicaid payments based solely on claim submission date or form type.
Effective July 1, 2025:
House Bill 0241 allows healthcare providers licensed in other states to provide telehealth services to Wyoming residents without obtaining Wyoming licensure, subject to notification and other requirements. Your healthcare entity employing out-of-state telehealth providers must ensure compliance with notification procedures before the July 1, 2025 effective date. Senate File 0155 authorizes provisional medical licenses for international medical graduates meeting specific criteria, expanding physician workforce options.
Effective July 1, 2026:
House Bill 0289 repeals Certificate of Need requirements for healthcare facility regulations. This significant deregulation removes regulatory barriers to opening or expanding healthcare facilities, creating strategic planning opportunities for practices considering facility expansion or new locations.
Physicians must complete 60 hours of continuing medical education per three-year licensure period according to Wyoming Board of Medicine Rules and Regulations. Any combination of AMA PRA Category 1 Credit, Category 2 CME, or AOA-approved CME satisfies this requirement, providing flexibility in CME selection. The Board imposes no minimum hours from any specific category, allowing physicians to tailor continuing education to their practice needs.
Active physician licensure serves as a prerequisite for maintaining shareholder status in Wyoming medical professional corporations. W.S. § 17-3-101 requires exclusive ownership by licensed professionals, creating a direct connection between individual licensing status and corporate ownership eligibility.
When a physician's license lapses (fails to renew by June 30), becomes suspended, or is revoked, that physician loses eligibility to maintain shareholder status. You must monitor all physician-shareholder license expiration dates throughout the triennial renewal cycle and ensure timely renewal submissions by the June 30 deadline. Because Wyoming requires triennial renewals with staggered dates based on individual licensure dates, you must track these dates across the three-year cycle, requiring robust compliance tracking systems.
Physician Assistants must renew their licenses annually by December 31 with a $10 renewal fee, per the Wyoming Board of Medicine PA licensing requirements. Registered Nurses renew biennially (every even-numbered year) by December 31 with a $110 renewal fee. RNs must satisfy continuing education through one of three options per two-year period: 400 hours active practice with no additional CE, 200 hours active practice plus 15 hours CE, or fewer than 200 hours practice requiring 30 hours CE. Licensed Practical Nurses follow the same biennial renewal cycle with a $90 fee and identical CE requirements, according to the Wyoming State Board of Nursing.
Wyoming's professional corporation statute contains ambiguous language regarding multi-discipline ownership. W.S. § 17-3-101 states corporations may practice a profession only if stock is owned exclusively by individuals licensed to practice "that profession" (singular). This singular language creates genuine statutory ambiguity (the statute does not explicitly clarify whether different healthcare professions such as physicians and nurse practitioners may co-own a single professional corporation, or whether "that profession" means each specific profession separately). Wyoming-licensed legal counsel should review any proposed multi-discipline ownership structure before formation to determine the appropriate entity type and organizational approach.
No. Wyoming enforces Corporate Practice of Medicine restrictions through Wyoming Board of Medicine administrative rules that prohibit non-physician ownership of medical practices. These rules work in conjunction with W.S. § 17-3-101, which requires professional corporation stock to be owned exclusively by licensed professionals. Direct corporate employment of physicians by non-physician entities violates this regulatory framework. Medical practices must be structured as physician-owned professional corporations, professional LLCs with physician ownership, or other structures maintaining 100% licensed professional ownership of clinical services.
When a physician's license lapses due to failure to renew by the June 30 triennial deadline, that physician loses eligibility to maintain shareholder status in the medical professional corporation. Your practice faces potential entity compliance issues if it continues operating with a non-licensed shareholder. You should implement 90-day advance renewal reminders for all physician-shareholders and maintain contingency ownership restructuring plans. If a license lapse occurs, immediate consultation with legal counsel is necessary to address ownership restructuring requirements and ensure continued entity compliance.
No. Wyoming imposes no franchise tax or business license tax on professional entities, according to the Wyoming Department of Revenue. This represents a significant cost advantage compared to states like California (minimum $800 annual franchise tax) or Delaware (franchise tax based on authorized shares). Your healthcare entity in Wyoming only pays the annual report fee (a minimum of $60 or $0.0002 per dollar of Wyoming assets, whichever is greater) for entity-level compliance, along with individual professional license renewal fees.
Both Professional Corporations and Professional Limited Liability Companies provide liability protection while maintaining individual professional accountability. The primary differences involve governance structure and formation requirements. Professional Corporations require a board of directors and corporate formalities, with mandatory "Professional Corporation" or "P.C." in the entity name per W.S. § 17-3-103. PLLCs offer flexible management structures through operating agreements, allowing member-managed or manager-managed governance. Formation costs total $150-$180 initially, including a $100 filing fee and $50 registered agent fee, with Professional Corporations processing in up to 15 business days. Both structures carry the same $60 minimum annual report fee (or two-tenths of one mill on the dollar of Wyoming assets, whichever is greater). The choice depends on desired governance flexibility, with PLLCs offering more operational versatility for practices preferring less formal management structures.
House Bill 0241, effective July 1, 2025, allows healthcare providers licensed in other states to provide telehealth services to Wyoming residents without obtaining Wyoming licensure, subject to notification and other requirements. Your healthcare entity employing or contracting with out-of-state licensed providers for telehealth delivery must review notification requirements and update credentialing policies before the effective date. This creates workforce flexibility but requires compliance with new notification procedures. You should begin preparation in Q1 2025 to ensure systems are in place by July 1, 2025.
Managing multiple compliance deadlines across different renewal cycles and maintaining continuous ownership verification creates administrative burden that pulls your team away from patient care. Discern provides automated compliance management for healthcare entities, helping you stay current with Wyoming's entity requirements and professional licensing obligations.
Ready to simplify your healthcare entity compliance? Book a demo with Discern today and see how we can reduce your administrative burden while ensuring your Wyoming entities stay in good standing.
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