Illinois this week became the 11th state to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, an agreement to expedite the process of allowing physicians licensed in one state to gain practice privileges in other jurisdictions.
This compact, facilitated by the Federation of State Medical Boards, is intended to, among other things, make it easier for doctors to deliver telemedicine services to patients located in different states. “The need for medical license portability is important,” Dr. Humayun Chaudhry, president and CEO of the Washington-based FSMB, said Wednesday at the mHealth + Telehealth World conference in Boston.
Previous adopters of the physician licensure compact are: Alabama, Idaho, Iowa, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia and Wyoming.
Physicians do have to pay a separate licensing fee, averaging $261, in each state, though the money allows state boards to review applications and investigate accusations of wrongdoing, Chaudhry said. “The interstate compact preserves the right for states to charge those fees,” he explained.
However, states don’t have to run credentialing checks on physicians licensed elsewhere. “We think over time states could reduce those fees,” Chaudhry said.
Shortly after he presented at the conference, Chaudhry joined MedCity News on video to explain the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which he said is about more than just telemedicine.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZluwMCFMcQ]
