Championing Legislative Policies on Capitol Hill
On March 12, FSMB Board members participated in the 2024 Day on the Hill in Washington, DC, to discuss issues important to medical regulation and express support for a handful of high-priority bills impacting the work of state medical boards. These pieces of legislation included the SHARE Act, a bill that would explicitly allow the FBI to provide criminal history records to state licensing authorities for individuals seeking a license or privilege to practice an occupation or profession in a licensure compact member state; the Dr. Lorna Breen Health Care Provider Protection Act Reauthorization, a bill that would renew grants to support evidence-based strategies for preventing burnout and promoting mental health among healthcare professionals; and the Resident Physician Shortage Reduction Act of 2023, a bill that would increase the number of residency slots by 14,000 over the next several years and will require a certain number of spots to go to rural hospitals, hospitals in states with new medical schools or campuses, and hospitals serving health professional shortage areas (HPSAs)
FSMB Board members and staff met with the offices of Senators Sinema (I-AZ), Warren (D-MA), Kennedy (R-LA), Smith (D-MN), Schmitt (R-MO), Cruz (R-TX), Mullin (R-OK), Cassidy (R-LA), Kelly (D-AZ), Klobuchar (D-MN), Casey (D-PA), Markey (D- MA), Cornyn (R-TX), Hawley (R-MO), Van Hollen (D-MD), Tillis (R-NC), Cortez Masto (D-NV), Lankford (R-OK), Budd (R-NC), and Blackburn (R-TN) and Representatives Bice (R-OK), Amodei (R-NV), Raskin (D-MD), Bush (D-MO), Fletcher (D-TX), Holmes Norton (D-DC), McGovern (D-MA), Murphy (R-NC), Fischbach (R-MN), and Evans (D-PA).
Tracking Legislative Impact
In the 2023-2024 state legislative sessions and the 118th Congress, FSMB staff tracked more than 1,600 bills on issues such as board structure and function, pain management and prescribing practices, artificial intelligence (AI), graduate medical education funding, board structure and function, licensure portability, telemedicine, continuing medical education, and many other policy areas. FSMB staff was also active in supporting individual state medical boards by providing testimony in response to legislation in states such as Maryland, Minnesota, New York, North Carolina, and Rhode Island.
Enhancing License Portability for Healthcare Professionals
FSMB is committed to supporting license portability of healthcare professionals – expanding access to care and streamlining the licensure process. Our efforts to facilitate license portability continue to be supported by federal grants funded through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In the past year, both the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) and the PA Licensure Compact expanded to additional states across the country, providing more qualified physicians and PAs with an expedited pathway to licensure. The Provider Bridge platform also saw a record year of growth as more physicians, PAs and nurses registered for the platform to signal their willingness to assist our nation’s response to medical emergencies and natural disasters.
In 2024, the 100,000th license was issued through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) process. This major milestone is a testament to years of work and cooperation between state medical boards in the pursuit of expanding access to care and facilitating streamlined licensure for qualified physicians wishing to practice in multiple states and territories. Since its implementation in 2017, more than 110,000 licenses have been issued through the Compact, and 40 states, the District of Columbia, and Guam have become Compact members.
In 2023-2024, the PA Licensure Compact experienced significant expansion, signaling a desire by several states to enhance the ability of qualified PAs to practice in multiple jurisdictions quickly. To date, 13 states are now members, officially passing the seven-state threshold required to activate the Compact officially. The inaugural PA Compact Commission meeting, planned for fall 2024, will focus on implementing the Compact's provisions and addressing any emerging challenges. For more information, visit PAcompact.org.
Provider Bridge, a platform designed to streamline the mobilization of health care professionals during emergencies and natural disasters, saw a steady increase in growth over the past year, with more than 250,000 physicians, PAs and nurses now registered. The platform allows hospitals, health systems and other health care entities to identify and connect with health care providers to help fulfill workforce needs based on their medical profession and specialty. Visit ProviderBridge.org to learn how you can assist our nation’s health care response to emergencies and natural disasters.
Innovative Policies for the Future of Medical Regulation
In 2024, FSMB’s House of Delegates adopted a number of important policies and guidelines that can be used to assist state medical boards in their work to protect patients. These policies include guidance on issues such as regulating physicians in training, the responsible and ethical incorporation of AI into clinical practice, strategies for prescribing opioids for the management of pain, and guidelines for the structure and function of a state medical board.
