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Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Medical Boards Draft Model Law Designed to Make It Easier to Treat Patients Out-of-State and Online

Officials representing state medical boards across the country have drafted a model law that would make it much easier for doctors licensed in one state to treat patients in other states, whether in person, by video-conference or online.

The plan, representing the biggest change in medical licensing in decades, opens the door to greater use of telemedicine and could alleviate the doctor shortage, a growing problem as millions of people gain insurance coverage under the Affordable Care Act.

The draft legislation, in the form of an interstate compact (a legally binding agreement among states), was developed by the Federation of State Medical Boards, composed of the agencies that license and discipline doctors. “The proposed compact would create a new pathway to speed the licensing of doctors seeking to practice medicine in multiple states,” said Dr. Humayun J. Chaudhry, the president of the Federation. “It would allow doctors to see more patients than ever before, if they want to.”

Read the article in the New York Times here.