A new proposal from members of the Federation of State Medical Boards would make it easier for physicians to apply for and receive medical licenses in other states, lessening a major barrier to the widespread practice of telemedicine.
The proposal, which would take the form of a legally binding interstate compact, would allow physicians who are board-certified in at least one specialty and who have no history of disciplinary or legal action being taken against them to receive expedited licenses from other states. To facilitate this process, the states' medical boards would share information on physicians' histories with an Interstate Commission, which would oversee the process.
The physician would still be required to meet all requirements of the medical board in the issuing state, as the compact maintains "the practice of medicine occurs where the patient is located at the time of the physician-patient encounter, and therefore, requires the physician to be under the jurisdiction of the state medical board where the patient is located." There would also still be a fee for each state license.
Requiring physicians to be licensed in the state where the patient is located, coupled with lengthy licensing processes for each state, have long been a barrier to the practice of telemedicine. Easing this process would allow physicians to see more patients, and patients to have access to a larger number of physicians.
"Cross-border licensure is a strategic imperative as we move forward in this brave new world [of telemedicine]," Kathleen M. Harrington, Rochester, Minn.-based Mayo Clinic's government relations manager, told The New York Times.
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