News in brief

Michigan enacts Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

The Wolverine State joins 24 others, plus the District of Columbia and Guam, in offering an expedited pathway to licensure for physicians who wish to practice in multiple states.

Michigan began the new year by joining the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), becoming the 25th state to enact the legislation after Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed HB 4066 and HB 4067 into law on Dec. 31, 2018.

Currently, 25 states, the District of Columbia and Guam make up the 27 jurisdictions offering an expedited pathway to licensure for physicians who wish to practice in multiple states.

“The expansion of the Compact to half of all U.S. states is … [a] testament to state medical boards’ efforts to innovate and improve license portability,” said FSMB President and CEO Humayun Chaudhry, DO, in a release. “We welcome Michigan into the Compact and are pleased that Michiganders will benefit from having increased access to medical care.”

The IMLC mission is to increase access to health care for patients in rural or medically underserved areas in light of the physician shortage and to facilitate an easier connection with medical experts through the use of telehealth technologies.

Michigan joins 24 states, Guam and the District of Columbia in enacting legislation to join the Compact. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Maine, Maryland, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming.

The initiative remains under consideration in Kentucky, New Mexico and South Carolina, according to a release by the Federation of State Medical Boards.

The IMLC application process went live in April 2017 and 4,511 medical licenses have been issued through Dec. 31, 2018, according to the FSMB. To learn more about the Compact, visit IMLCC.org.

Further reading:

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission starts taking license applications

JAOA sheds light on misperceptions of Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Interstate compact amends licensure rules at request of AOA

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