The IMLC offers an expedited pathway to licensure for physicians wishing to practice in multiple states. Its mission is to increase access to health care for patients in underserved or rural areas and allowing them to more easily connect with medical experts through the use of telemedicine technologies. 

The IMLC’s application process officially went live on April 6, 2017, and its first license was issued on April 20, 2017. As of March 31, 2019, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission has processed 3,314 applications resulting in 5,450 medical licenses. 

The following jurisdictions are IMLC members: Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, District of Columbia, Guam, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 

The initiative remains under consideration in Florida, Georgia, Oklahoma and South Carolina. 

The Licensing Company can help you obtain an ILMC so you can practice all of these states. Please Contact Us and we will be in touch immediately.

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According to a recent survey of 15 major metropolitan areas, wait times to see a physician for new patients increased by about 30 percent from 2014 to 2017. Some of the more eye-opening estimates include a two-month wait period to get a physical exam in Boston and a one-month wait for a heart evaluation in Washington state. Wait times in some areas have become so excessive that patients change their physician entirely.

It gets worse. According to the National Rural Health Association, people living in rural areas have nearly one-third as much access to physicians, lower incomes to pay medical bills, and comparatively more health concerns to address than their urban counterparts. Even when a physician is available, travel times and distances in rural America can make access challenging.

Whether it’s long waiting times, geographical distance, or the fear of expensive medical bills, U.S. healthcare leaves many unsatisfied. Thankfully, telemedicine, the use of telecommunication technology to help administer medical care, provides solutions for many who might otherwise suffer healthcare-access woes. Not only can telemedicine connect patients with physicians quickly and cheaply, but it may also soon be able to do so regardless of distance.

A recent CNBC article notes that an increasing number of physicians are becoming licensed in multiple states using telemedicine technology to help patients receive medical care anytime, anywhere. Dr. Sajad Zalzala, who has a license to practice medicine in all fifty states and Washington, D.C., notes, “With brick-and-mortar only, you can only help a few patients.” However, “with telemedicine, you have access to so many more people.”

The healthcare market is ready to make the switch. By 2025, the telemedicine market is expected to reach an all-time high $130 bilion in revenue. Research published in Emergency American Medicine finds that nearly 40 percent of physician appointments can be conducted through telemedicine.

Public policy and the private sector are currently working to help physicians acquire all the necessary state medical licenses. Legislation such as the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact provides an expedited licensure process to allow physicians to practice medicine in dozens of states easily. Businesses such as MedSpoke provide services to help physicians obtain and manage multiple licenses.

“The need is there,” says Jon Larson, CEO of MedSpoke. “There’s a big shortage of physicians, and technology offers us a better way to solve this problem.”

Unfortunately, there are still many impediments preventing physicians from practicing in multiple states using telemedicine from reaching their full potential. Holding and maintaining a medical license in different states is expensive and time-consuming to maintain. State medical boards that grant licenses also frequently consult each other when processing applications, slowing down approval times.

The Food and Drug Administration, although typically confined to regulating drugs and medical devices, recently announced its intent to advance digital healthcare by providing additional oversight. Although its current focus is to increase oversight of clinical decision support software, such regulation could extend into digital physician services, including telemedicine.

The licensing company can help you get licensed in 19 states at once with the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Simply give us a call today or Contact Us and we will be in touch immediately!

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The five-year HRSA grant will be used to support license portability for PAs, enhance the IMLC technology platform to enable secure communications among IMLC member boards, and expand outreach to educate stakeholders on how to utilize the IMLC to improve access to care using telemedicine across state lines. The grant will also support new and existing IMLC member states in increasing efficiency in conducting required criminal background checks.

Since 2015, 29 states, Guam and the District of Columbia have enacted legislation to join the IMLC. These states include Alabama, Arizona, Colorado, Georgia, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, South Dakota, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Virginia, Wisconsin and Wyoming. 

The IMLC’s application process officially went live on April 6, 2017, and its first license was issued on April 20, 2017. As of As of July 2019, more than 6,671 medical licenses have been issued to 4,446 physicians through the IMLC. To learn more about the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, please visit IMLCC.org.

The Licensing Company can help you get an IMLC today which can open up hundreds of new opportunities around the country. Our experienced staff have processed many of these applications and are ready to assist you today. Simply either call us at ____________ or Contact us and we will be in contact with you today!

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