Dive Brief:
- Alabama adopted the Federation of State Medical Boards Interstate Licensure Compact last week, becoming the necessary seventh state required to adopt the measure—Idaho, Montana, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia are already on board.
- The compact would allow physicians to practice across state lines and is expected to take effect shortly, according to mHealth News.
- The Mayo Clinic, the American Medical Association and the American Academy of Pediatrics have already expressed support for the measure, which would ease the regulatory process for physicians who wish to practice in other states while maintaining the authority of each state's individual medical board.
Dive Insight:
"The interstate medical licensure compact model legislation creates a new process for faster licensing for physicians interested in practicing in multiple states and establishes the location of a patient as the jurisdiction for oversight and patient protections," the FSMB said. "The compact is a dynamic system of expedited licensure over which the member states can maintain control through a coordinated legislative and administrative process. Participation in an interstate compact would be voluntary, for both states and physicians."
Expect a few other states to jump on the bandwagon here. Nevada, Minnesota, Iowa, Nebraska, Michigan, Illinois, Oklahoma, Texas, Vermont, Rhode Island and Maryland all have pending legislation to adopt the compact.
Physicians will still have to wait to take advantage of the compact, however. Now that seven states have approved the compact, the organization will form an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, with two commissioners from each participating state, to create bylaws for licensure. This process could take up to 12 months.