The Federation of State Medical Boards has completed the drafting of its interstate medical licensure compact and is ready for state legislatures to consider the proposal.
The proposed interstate compact would expedite the process of multistate physician licensure and help expand the practice of telemedicine. In a Sept. 5 statement, Dr. Humayun J. Chaudhry, CEO of the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB), said the compact’s language design is finished and that state legislatures and medical boards can now weigh adoption of the model legislation.
Dr. Humayun J. Chaudhry
"The FSMB is pleased to have supported the state medical board community as it developed this compact to streamline licensure, while maintaining patient protection as a top priority," Dr. Chaudhry said in the statement.
The FSMB House of Delegates unanimously approved the development of an interstate compact to streamline medical licensure and facilitate multistate practice at its 2013 annual meeting. Under the proposed system, states and doctors would voluntarily enter into the compact, and approved physicians would be under the jurisdiction of the state medical board in which the patient was located at the time of the medical interaction. State boards of medicine would retain their individual authority for discipline and oversight, according to the proposed compact. The compact system is expected to significantly reduce barriers to the process of gaining licensure in multiple states, while helping to facilitate licensure portability and telemedicine.
The American Medical Association said the interstate compact aligns with its efforts to modernize state medical licensure and allow for an expedited pathway in participating states.
"State-based licensure is an important tenet of accountability, ensuring that physicians are qualified through the review of their education, training, character, and professional disciplinary histories," AMA President Dr. Robert M. Wah said in a statement. "We applaud the FSMB for developing the interstate compact and other reforms designed to simplify and improve the licensure process for physicians practicing across state lines as well as providing telemedicine services in multiple states."
Each individual state board will now work with their state legislators and stakeholder community to determine whether participation in the compact is ideal for their jurisdiction. The FSMB will continue to serve as a resource for interested states, the federation said. Four state boards have endorsed the compact thus far, and several more states have begun discussions with state legislators and other stakeholders in anticipation of introducing the model compact during the 2015 legislative session.
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