As promised in the 2021 Texas Legislative Session the Texas Medical Board is launching the Interstate Licensure Compact on March 1, 2022. The board released the following announcement on February 23rd.
Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Begins March 1st in Texas Physician applicants outside of Texas, and Texas physicians wishing to practice in another member state, can begin submitting applications to the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission (IMLCC) on Tuesday, March 1. The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is a voluntary, expedited pathway to licensure for qualifying physicians who wish to practice in Compact member states. For details on qualifying for Compact licensure, and Frequently Asked Questions, please visit: https://www.tmb.state.tx.us/page/interstate-medical-licensure-compact
This is the culmination of years of planning and pushing and begging Texas legislators to fall in with so many other states to understand the necessity of physicians to be able to readily move quickly across state lines to practice. Texas became the 33rd state to join the compact. The Federation of State Medical Boards www.fsmb.org serves as the parent organization for the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact which began in 2017. The Compact which mirrors the compact license of nurses affords physicians who qualify an expedited avenue to licensure. This is not a way to skip around state to state or to escape an investigation or perhaps punishment for a reportable action but to allow good doctors the ability to quickly get to states that need assistance, such as Texas.
I for one am very excited to finally see Texas join the Compact – so bring it on Texas – it’s about time! Denise Meyer