The Federation of State Medical Board's Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is ready to be formally implemented with the addition of Alabama to the roster of states supporting the legislation.
The Yellowhammer State turned the tide when last week it became the seventh to enact the compact. The states that have enacted the compact will now create a commission tasked with creating a process for physicians participating in the compact, according to an announcement. The other states onboard are Idaho, Montana, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming and West Virginia.
The interstate compact will help reduce barriers for physicians looking to obtain medical licenses in multiple states and facilitate licensure portability and telemedicine.
"Now … we can begin the real work of establishing the compact to ensure patients have access to quality healthcare services, while maintaining the highest level of patient protections," Larry D. Dixon, executive director of the Alabama Board of Medical Examiners, said in the announcement.
The commission will start to meet in the coming months to talk about management and administration of the compact, the announcement said. The commission will include two voting representatives appointed from each state.
Some industry professionals have voiced concerns that the compact does not go far enough to boost telemedicine access in a meaningful way. James Turner, senior policy counsel for the Health IT Now Coalition, said in September that the document could have been improved if it granted providers the ability to deliver virtual care to patients in compact states without having to obtain an additional license.
However, obtaining state medical licenses is a time-consuming process and a big barrier to the use of telemedicine across state lines, according to a survey published in Telemedicine and e-Health. Time spent from start to approval for a state medical license could be more than 12 hours, the survey says.
Members of FSMB say the compact will save physicians time and effort, enabling them to respond more quickly to regional and national health care demands.
To learn more:
- read the announcement