Medical Licensing: Piles of Paperwork and Much-Needed Reform
Medical Licensing: Piles of Paperwork and Much-Needed Reform
Well, it seems that there's a glimmer of hope. An initiative passed in April 2013 by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) to develop an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact appears to be gaining steam. According to the FSMB, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is "an expedited licensure process for eligible physicians that improves license portability and increases patient access to care." Such medical licenses would be "full and nonrestricted." An FSMB roundtable webinar summarizes the details of the compact.
Do I hear a "hallelujah," anyone? Or at least, a "Hmmm, sounds like a move in the right direction?"
As of July 14, 2015, 10 states, led by Wyoming, have joined the compact (Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming). Legislation is pending in 10 more states.
The driving force behind this unprecedented level of state licensing board cooperation appears to be the needs of rural states for telemedicine. As the technology for telemedicine has improved, with video, data, and neuroimaging capabilities, rural hospitals can now avail themselves of distant specialists 24/7, improving local care. This model has proven attractive to many hospitals that contract for these services, as well as tertiary care centers that provide them.
Another incentive behind the state licensing boards' compact initiative appears to be self-preservation. Federal legislation has been proposed that would allow telemedicine doctors licensed in one state to service patients in any other state. Should such legislation pass, the need for multiple state licenses, and the millions of dollars in license fees that go with them, would dramatically decrease.
Currently, physicians who practice telemedicine must be licensed in each state where their patients receive care. Others who labor under the burden of individual state license requirements are locum tenens physicians and those who practice at multiple hospitals, which may be close in proximity but located in different states.
Hope for the Future
Well, it seems that there's a glimmer of hope. An initiative passed in April 2013 by the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) to develop an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact appears to be gaining steam. According to the FSMB, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is "an expedited licensure process for eligible physicians that improves license portability and increases patient access to care." Such medical licenses would be "full and nonrestricted." An FSMB roundtable webinar summarizes the details of the compact.
Do I hear a "hallelujah," anyone? Or at least, a "Hmmm, sounds like a move in the right direction?"
Wyoming Leads the Way
As of July 14, 2015, 10 states, led by Wyoming, have joined the compact (Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming). Legislation is pending in 10 more states.
The driving force behind this unprecedented level of state licensing board cooperation appears to be the needs of rural states for telemedicine. As the technology for telemedicine has improved, with video, data, and neuroimaging capabilities, rural hospitals can now avail themselves of distant specialists 24/7, improving local care. This model has proven attractive to many hospitals that contract for these services, as well as tertiary care centers that provide them.
Another incentive behind the state licensing boards' compact initiative appears to be self-preservation. Federal legislation has been proposed that would allow telemedicine doctors licensed in one state to service patients in any other state. Should such legislation pass, the need for multiple state licenses, and the millions of dollars in license fees that go with them, would dramatically decrease.
Burden of Multiple Licenses
Currently, physicians who practice telemedicine must be licensed in each state where their patients receive care. Others who labor under the burden of individual state license requirements are locum tenens physicians and those who practice at multiple hospitals, which may be close in proximity but located in different states.
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