HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3112        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2224

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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PRESENTED BY:

Jack Patrick Lewis and Mindy Domb

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To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
Court assembled:

The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:

An Act improving healthcare delivery for underserved residents of the Commonwealth.

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PETITION OF:

HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 3112        FILED ON: 1/20/2023

HOUSE  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  .  No. 2224

The Commonwealth of Massachusetts

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In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
(2023-2024)

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An Act improving healthcare delivery for underserved residents of the Commonwealth.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:
 

SECTION 1. Section 9 of Chapter 112 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition, is hereby amended by inserting a parenthetical lowercase arabic numeral “a”, before the words “an applicant” in the first sentence.

SECTION 2. Said section 9 of chapter 112 of the General Laws is -hereby further amended by inserting at the end thereof, the following subsection:-

(b) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, an internationally-trained physician who has been licensed or otherwise authorized to practice medicine in a country other than the United States shall be eligible to apply for a limited license to practice medicine for a renewable one-year term after satisfying the criteria in below paragraph 2, provided, however, that such limited registration shall provide a pathway for the issuance of a full unrestricted license to practice medicine in accordance with, and upon satisfaction of, the criteria in below paragraph 4.

(1) Definitions. For the purposes of this subsection, the following terms shall have the following meanings—

(i) “ECFMG” shall mean the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates.

(ii)  “Internationally-trained physician” shall mean a physician who has received a degree of doctor of medicine or its equivalent from a legally chartered medical school outside the United States recognized by the World Health Organization, who has been licensed or otherwise authorized to practice medicine in a country other than the United States, and who has practiced medicine for at least one year.

(iii) “Massachusetts physician shortage area” shall mean a geographic region or population in the commonwealth experiencing a shortage of physicians, especially primary care physicians or psychiatrists, relative to population and need, as determined by the board.

(iii) “Participating healthcare facility” shall mean a federally-qualified health center, community health center, hospital, or other healthcare facility approved by the board that provides an assessment and evaluation program designed to develop, assess, and evaluate an internationally-trained physician’s non-clinical skills, according to criteria developed or approved by the board; provided, however, that the participating healthcare facility provides medical care in a Massachusetts physician shortage area.

(iv) “USMLE” shall mean United States Medical Licensure Exam.

(2) The board shall issue a limited license to an applicant if the participating facility and the applicant submit evidence acceptable to the board that the applicant:

(i) is an internationally-trained physician;

(ii) has a valid certificate issued by the ECFMG or other credential evaluation service approved by the board, provided, however, that the board may waive such certification at its discretion where the applicant is unable to obtain the required documentation from a non-cooperating country;

(iii) has achieved a passing score on each of Steps 1 and 2 CK of the USMLE;

(iv) has entered into an agreement with the participating facility providing that the facility shall develop, assess and evaluate the applicant’s familiarity with non-clinical skills and standards appropriate for medical practice in the commonwealth, according to assessment and evaluation criteria developed or approved by the board;

(v) will enter a full-time full employment relationship with the participating facility after the board issues a limited license to practice medicine to the applicant; and

(vi) has satisfied other criteria that may be developed by the board in fulfillment of this subsection.

(3) The 1-year limited license may be renewed once, for a total 2-year term of limited registration.

(4) An internationally-trained physician who provides the board with proof of (i) successful completion of the participating facility’s assessment and evaluation program, and (ii) a passing score on Step 3 of the USMLE, shall be eligible to apply for a renewable 2-year restricted license to practice medicine only in a Massachusetts physician shortage area designated by the board; provided, however, that such license shall authorize the holder to practice independently in a primary care specialty, psychiatry, or other specialty approved by the board. After 2 to 4 years of such restricted practice, the internationally-trained physician shall be eligible to apply for a full, unrestricted license to practice medicine.