As state medical licensing agencies seek to accommodate new health information technologies such as telemedicine while preserving professional integrity and patient safety, they'll be getting a funding boost from the federal government
The Health Resources and Services Administration at HHS has awarded a $250,000-a-year grant for three years to support state medical boards as they implement the administrative and technical infrastructure of the Interstate Medical Licensing Compact.
The compact, which has been extended to 17 states so far, helps reduce redundant licensing requirements by creating one place where physicians may submit their basic licensing information, such as their education credentials.
Ian Marquand, chairperson of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, said the grant announcement was “good and very welcome news. “I look forward to learning more about how the grant will support that work.”
Compact states include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.
The policy has been criticized as a means to perpetuate state medical boards' authority since it fends off calls for a national license, but no one has put up a legal challenge. The American Medical Association endorsed the FSMB's interstate compact and said it “aligns with our efforts to modernize state medical licensure.”
