News & Media
MSMS Members Testify on Interstate Medical Licensure Compact
On Tuesday, Phillip Wise, MD, Vice Speaker of the Michigan State Medical Society (MSMS) House of Delegates and member of the MSMS Board of Trustees, testified in front of the Senate Health Policy Committee on behalf of MSMS. In his testimony, Doctor Wise spoke in opposition to House Bills 4066 and 4067, regarding the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC).
In 2015, the MSMS House of Delegates passed Resolution 48-15 establishing the following policy:
MSMS opposes participation with the Federation of State Medical Boards' Interstate Medical Licensure Compact.
House Bills 4066 and 4067 would allow physicians to obtain a license that is no longer constrained by state borders. In theory, most physicians would support the idea of making it easier to obtain a license in a different state. However, MSMS has specific concerns regarding the requirements and status of the IMLC, including:
- Redefining "physician" to be one who "holds specialty certification or a time-unlimited certificate recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) or the American Osteopathic Association’s Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists." This is not an existing licensure requirement in Michigan, or any state, and incorporates in statute the issues of specialty board certification and maintenance of certification.
- This legislation is repetitive and unnecessary. Michigan already has a pathway for reciprocity from other states to apply for a licensure.
- These bills only streamline the process for initial licensure but do not streamline the patchwork of rules and regulations to maintain licensure in other states.
- Because the IMLC is not yet fully implemented, its rules and costs are currently a work in progress and therefore, unknown.
Proponents of the legislation believe the Compact is a solution to patient accessibility issues in rural and underserved areas and advancing the use of telemedicine across the nation. Several health systems indicated support of the bills.
Megan Edison, MD, speaking on behalf of herself, testified in opposition to the bills. In the event that Committee members might be viewing the legislation favorably, she encouraged them to look to other states such as Arizona and Wisconsin that included additional provisions in their legislation to protect the rights of physicians in their respective states.
Thank you, Doctor Wise and Doctor Edison, for starting the discussion in the Senate. MSMS will continue to work with the Committee to address the specific concerns about the impact on Michigan's physicians while acknowledging our mutual goals regarding the availability of telemedicine and health care access in rural and underserved areas.