Budget Amendment ID: FY2022-S3-564

EHS 564

Physician Interstate Licensure Study

Mr. Gomez, Ms. Gobi, Messrs. Hinds and Velis moved that the proposed new text be amended by adding the following new section:-

SECTION XX. a) Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive office of health and human services shall establish a task force on an interstate medical licensure compact and licensure reciprocity. The task force shall consist of: the secretary of the executive office of health and human services or a designee who shall serve as chair; the commissioner of the department of public health or a designee; the commissioner of the department of mental health or a designee; the executive director of the board of registration in medicine or a designee; the Undersecretary of the office of consumer affairs and business regulation or a designee; a representative from the health policy commission; a representative from the Massachusetts Medical Society; a representative from the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association; and a representative from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.

b) The task force shall conduct an analysis and issue a report evaluating the commonwealth’s options to facilitate appropriate interstate medical practice and the practice of telemedicine including the potential entry into an interstate medical licensure compact or other reciprocity agreement. The analysis and report shall include but not be limited to: (i) an analysis of physician job vacancies in the commonwealth broken down by practice specialization and projected vacancies based on the demographics of the commonwealth’s physician workforce and medical school graduate retention rates; (ii) an analysis of other states’ entry into the interstate medical licensure compact and any impact on quality of care resulting from entry; (iii) an analysis of the ability of physicians to provide follow-up care across state lines, including via telehealth; (iv) an analysis of registration models for providers who may provide care for patients via telehealth with the provider located in one state and the patient located in another state, provided that said analysis would include delineation of provider responsibilities for registration and reporting to state professional licensure boards; (v) an analysis of impacts to health care quality, cost and access resulting from other states’ entry into a medical licensure compact, as well as anticipated impacts to health care quality, cost and access associated with entry into an interstate medical licensure compact; (vi) evaluations of barriers and solutions regarding prescribing across state lines; (vii) evaluations of the feasibility of a regional reciprocity agreement allowing telemedicine across state lines both for existing patient provider relationships and/or the establishment of new relationships; (viii) evaluations of the feasibility of the establishment of  interstate proxy credentialing; and (ix) recommendations regarding the commonwealth’s entry into an interstate physician licensure compact or other licensure reciprocity agreements.

(c) The task force shall submit its recommendations to the governor and the clerks of the senate and the house of representatives and the senate and house committees on ways and means not later than December 1, 2021.