A new survey highlights the difficulties health professionals experience when processing applications with state medical boards. One of the major barriers to the practice of telemedicine is the state-to-state inconsistency and variability of requirements for physicians to obtain a medical license.
Dr. Herb Rogove, President and CEO of C3O Telemedicine http://c3otelemedicine.com and the lead researcher of the survey believes, “This survey confirms the difficulties we face in the timely establishment of telemedicine programs to areas in need of physicians.”
He adds, “Obtaining a state medical license along with hospital credentialing is a time consuming process in which patients are penalized by delays in access to medical care. Healthcare is not keeping up with the potential benefits of disruptive technologies.”
The survey published in the journal “Telemedicine and ehealth” www.liebertpub.com/TMJ represents the assessment of individuals who have an average of 8.4 years of experience with state medical licensing processes in all 50 states.
Fifty-eight percent of respondents submit over 100 applications per year and the amount of time spent for each from start to approval of applications ranged from greater than 12 hours (54%) to 4 to 9 hours (17%). The duration of time for obtaining licenses range from one to three months in Indiana, Arizona, and Virginia to ten or more months in California, Illinois, and Texas.
The state medical boards rated as the most reasonable are Indiana (64%), Oregon (45%), Wyoming (45%), Pennsylvania (43%), and Montana (42%). The states most difficult to deal with are California, Texas, Arkansas, and Massachusetts.
In addition, the actual processing time aligns closest with the estimate advertised by the boards in Washington and Wyoming. The states that sometimes or always take longer than their advertised estimated time are Texas, California, and Illinois.
The survey clarifies the priority of expectations of those applying for a license to a state medical board. Suggestions for improvement obtained in the survey include the ability to check online for status, accept Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS) electronic and standardized license applications, provide for reciprocity, and share Michigan and Indiana best practices and universal licensure with others.