Michigan Governor Rick Snyder signed two bills into law on the last day of December, making Michigan the 25th state to enact the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), an initiative that offers an expedited pathway to licensure for physicians wishing to practice in multiple states.
In 2017, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact officially began accepting applications from qualified physicians who wished to obtain multiple licenses from participating states. The Compact has been expected to expand access to healthcare, especially to those in rural and underserved areas of the country, and facilitate the use of telemedicine technologies in the delivery of healthcare.
Licensing providers across state lines has long been a challenge, as clinicians who want to treat patients in another state have historically had to apply for and pay for licenses in those states—a costly and time-consuming process. Some state boards have also sought to prevent or limit the expansion of telehealth, citing patient safety concerns.
But under this agreement, licensed physicians can qualify to practice medicine across state lines within the Compact if they meet the agreed upon eligibility requirements. As of December 31, 4,511 medical licenses have been issued and 2,400 applications processed through the IMLC.
The Compact legislation was supported in Michigan by Ascension Michigan, Trinity Health, Michigan Health & Hospital Association, American Society for Dermatologic Surgery Association, and AARP Michigan, among others.
“Ascension Michigan applauds the passage of legislation providing for the state of Michigan to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact,” Sean Gehle, chief advocacy officer, Ascension Michigan, said in a statement. “We believe that not only will the Compact facilitate increased access to healthcare for patients in underserved areas of our state, allowing them to more easily connect to medical experts through the use of telemedicine, but also provide for a more streamlined and expeditious process for recruitment of physicians to these same underserved areas.”
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.
