Medical Licensure Compact Goes Live

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, a pathway to expedite the licensing of physicians already licensed to practice in one state, who seek to practice medicine in multiple states, is officially live. Alabama became the seventh state to enact the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and the final state necessary in order for the expedited pathway to licensure for board-certified physicians who have no history of disciplinary action against them to be made possible through the Compact.

The Compact creates a new pathway to expedite the licensing of physicians already licensed to practice in one state, who seek to practice medicine in multiple states. The Compact is designed to increase access to health care in underserved or rural areas and allow patients to more easily consult physicians through telemedicine technologies. The Compact will make it easier for physicians to obtain licenses to practice in multiple states and will strengthen public protection by facilitating state medical board sharing of investigative and disciplinary information that they cannot share now.

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is an agreement between 18 states and the 23 Medical and Osteopathic Boards in those states. Under this agreement licensed physicians can qualify to practice medicine across state lines within the Compact if they meet the agreed upon eligibility requirements. Approximately 80 percent of physicians meet the criteria for licensure through the IMLC.

Physicians can apply for an expedited license at https://imlcc.org/applynow/.

There are a few issues of special note:

• As of now, seven of the 18 states (AL, ID, IA, KS, WV, WI, WY) in the Compact are ready to issue licenses through the Compact. The remaining 11 are working to clarify/verify that their state medical boards are authorized to conduct background checks as required by the Compact. Bills to clear up this issue appear to be moving quickly.
• Fees
  1. For states – The Commission decided that there will be no cost to a state to participate in the Compact.
  2. For physicians – The cost to a physician to participate in the Compact is:
     1. Application Cost  = $700
        1. $400 of which will go to the Commission, and
        2. $300 of which will go to the physician’s State of Principal Licensure to cover the cost of verifying the physician’s credentials; PLUS
     2. License Cost – Each state in the Compact has the authority to establish the cost of the license received through the Compact. The costs range from $75-600. See the breakdown here.

The application fee may be changed in the future as licenses start being processed, and the amount of interest in getting a license through the Compact is better known.