News Feature | July 31, 2014

Licensing Docs Across State Lines Good For Telehealth

Katie Wike

By Katie Wike, contributing writer

Telehealth Docs

A recently released draft for new legislature regarding the licensure of doctors across state borders could be great news for the spread of telehealth.

The Federation of State Medical Boards has revealed its proposed revisions to state licensing for physicians practicing across state borders. According to iHealth Beat, the updated draft of FSMB's interstate compact would have a positive effect on the widespread use of telemedicine.

"The goal of the Compact is to ensure that qualified physicians are able to practice medicine in a safe and accountable manner and that the strongest health care consumer protections are maintained," said Dr. Humayun J. Chaudhry, president and CEO of FSMB in a press release. "The revised compact helps ensure that as the practice of telemedicine continues to expand, patient protection remains a top priority. We look forward to sharing the revised compact with state medical boards across the country and look forward to working with them to achieve implementation."

The revisions to the compact would:

  • require physicians who wish to participate in the compact to submit to fingerprinting or other biometric background checks to be eligible for licensure in additional states
  • alter specialty board certification requirements of the compact to clarify that those with time-unlimited certification are also eligible under the compact
  • require that physicians who wish to participate in the compact pass each component of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination (USMLE) or the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medicine Licensing Examination (COMLEX-USA) within three attempts

Also, FSMB says the compact would improve telehealth because it would:

  • create a faster licensing process for physicians who practice telehealth or who are interested in practicing medicine across multiple states
  • provide an alternative way for physicians to obtain a state license
  • reaffirm that the patient's location sets the applicable oversight and patient protections