Dear NC AAPS Members and Friends,
Please take a quick moment to speak out and ask your legislators to oppose SB 380 and keep North Carolina from tying itself to a failing organization, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Get your message on the way with a few clicks at: https://p2a.co/znaCcC8
The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact “may seem like a positive step to those who don’t have the time to look at it very closely,” explains Professor Shirley Svorny. She continues, “[t]he compact is being promoted disingenuously, as addressing license portability and access to interstate telemedicine…. Adding the Compact Commission creates another layer of bureaucracy and costs.”
One particularly harmful provision: eligibility to obtain a license through the Compact requires current ABMS board certification. And of course for most physicians current ABMS board certification requires participation in MOC.
In addition, “all laws in a member state in conflict with the Compact are superseded to the extent of the conflict,” and “all lawful actions of the Interstate Commission, including all rules and bylaws promulgated by the Commission, are binding upon the member states.” In other words, the Compact would take autonomy away from the State of North Carolina and hand it to an out-of-state commission meaningfully unaccountable to citizens of North Carolina.
So it is incredibly disturbing that a bill to bind the State of North Carolina to this Compact has been introduced as SB 380.
Adding more red tape is exactly the wrong approach during these difficult times facing both physicians and patients. In fact, last year the State of Florida rejected the Compact because it would increase the time (and expense) it takes for a physician to be licensed while decreasing licensees’ due process rights. The Missouri, South Carolina, and Rhode Island legislatures joined Florida in rejecting compact legislation in 2020.The Texas Legislature has rejected the compact three sessions in a row.
Most states have already taken steps to streamline the licensure process during the current emergency demonstrating that the Compact is not needed. North Carolina should enact solutions that fit the specific needs of North Carolinians.
Additional Red Flags Warning NC to Stay Far Away from the ILMC:
A letter the Iowa Medical Board sent to the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC) on June 30, 2020 is full of red flags for why North Carolina should avoid binding itself to the Compact.
Iowa writes: “The level of disorganization and lack of communication with the IMLCC staff are greatly frustrating member states’ efforts to comply with the mandates of the compact to streamline the licensure process. … In sum, our Board has serious concerns about the efficacy of the IMLCC staff’s role in maintaining an efficient and effective multistate licensure compact.”
The IMLC appears to be in serious trouble. According to recent commission minutes, meeting attendance has become a problem and the commission has 17 vacant commissioner positions currently. Current commissioners and potential candidates for these positions must realize there are major problems and are keeping their distance. No one wants to board or be the last person off a sinking ship.
What’s more? Vermont, joined the Compact May 1, 2018, but in the 12 months from April 2019 to March 2020 the state issued a total of EIGHT licenses to practice in the state via the Compact, according to a IMLCC report. This indicates that instead of bringing new licenses into states, the Compact maybe facilitating the export of physician manpower from states that join it.
Please take a quick moment to speak out and ask your legislators to oppose SB 380 and keep NC from tying itself to a failing organization.
