FSMB Interstate Medical Licensure Compact – an Economist’s View

摘要

The Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) proposed creation of an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC or Compact) in 2014. The Compact was enacted in May 2015 when it met the minimum requirement that seven state legislatures sign it into state law: Alabama, Idaho, Illinois, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, Utah, South Dakota, Wyoming, and West Virginia have signed on so far.Its stated intent is to expedite licensing of physicians who want to practice in multiple states without completing detailed license applications. FSMB states that the IMLC serves three needs: (1) to lessen existing physician shortages; (2) to meet the expected influx of millions of new patients as a result of the Affordable Care Act (ACA); and (3) to increase access to medical care in underserved areas via telemedicine. Once the licensing board in their primary state attests to their qualifications, other states in the Compact can quickly grant licenses to physicians who meet their requirements.This commentary argues that the Compact represents attempts by the FSMB to consolidate its own power and control over physicians, and that it has little relationship to improving quality of care. It thus represents a major misstep for medical care.