Why hasn’t national medical licensure been embraced?
State-by-state licenses tie down physicians and impede their capabilities to provide healthcare services nationwide. National Medical Licensure would ultimately benefit the patient.
Practicing medicine historically has been a state-by-state affair. But will that change now as the demand for healthcare services increase, particularly in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic?
An important and critical need for access to healthcare providers and their patients is the ability to practice medicine nationally without any limitations or restrictions of state by state licensure requirements. When the coronavirus pandemic became a healthcare crisis, the ATA (American Telehealth Association) called on governors nationwide to lift restrictions on healthcare providers to treat patients across state lines during the coronavirus outbreak.
Licensing Process
Currently medical license application is lengthy, arbitrary by state and time consuming. One set of defined national standards is needed similar to the Veterans Administration for credentialing and privileging of physicians allowing them to practice without restriction throughout the United States.
Seems that a universal license makes sense. Do you agree or disagree? (Contact us at excaliburmed.com. We’d love to hear your comments.)
Increasing Access to Healthcare
We support advocating with each state medical board and legislature for efficient medical licensing and automatic reciprocity. The winners are obvious: Our patients, everywhere.
As a radiologist and President of Excalibur Healthcare, Arthur J. Greene, MD., has sent letters and reached out to legislatures and Congressional representatives (Congresswoman and Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, CA, Senator Cory Booker, NJ ) and Congressman Andy Kim, NJ, to advocate the importance of a national medical licensure. Support healthcare providers by contacting your local legislatures and congress to change and improve how healthcare providers and the system can treat patients anytime and anywhere.
The coronavirus pandemic has disrupted the way we provide healthcare to patients. Social distancing guidelines has permanently altered the way we think about administering and getting healthcare. Now is the time to make the change to access for physicians and patients regardless of state boundaries. A nationwide medical license should be an important inclusion in the way society has quickly evolved with healthcare.
