California
Medical Board of California Introduces Wallet License Generator
In an effort to save resources related to the generation, printing and mailing of plastic licensing cards, the Medical Board of California (MBC) has developed a Wallet License Generator that allows eligible licensees to generate and print their own cards.
The MBC announced that it will phase out its plastic cards this year. Licensees whose licenses are current may use the new service, which is accessed via an online link.
Among the benefits of the new system will be the use of license-specific QR codes, which will enable real-time retrieval of license information from QR-code capable devices. The Wallet License Generator will also eliminate the four- to six-week processing time that was previously required for plastic cards. The new system provides a PDF file, which can be sent to employers or others, as needed.
To learn more about the MBC’s Wallet License Generator, visit www.mbc.ca.gov.
Source: Medical Board of California News, first quarter edition, 2022
Illinois
Two Boards Combine to Create New Illinois State Medical Board
The former Illinois Medical Disciplinary Board and Illinois Medical Licensing Board combined on January 1, 2022 to become the new Illinois State Medical Board. The former disciplinary and licensing boards were separate entities, with distinct functions in the state’s Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. The single Illinois State Medical Board now considers all disciplinary and licensing matters for physicians and physician assistants.
The new entity consists of 17 members, including two doctors of osteopathy, two physicians who collaborate with physician assistants, two chiropractic physicians, two physician assistants and three members of the public.
Source: Medical Minute with IDFPR newsletter, Spring 2022
Maine
Maine Board Releases 2021 Annual Licensing Report
The number of permanent MD licenses issued to Maine physicians by the Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine continued to grow in 2021, according to the Board’s 2021 Annual Licensing Report.
The Board issued 938 permanent licenses in 2021 — 200 more permanent licenses than in 2020 and almost 300 more than in 2019.
Licenses for physician assistants (PAs) were down slightly in 2021, with 117 licenses issued, compared to 149 in 2020. The Board issued 111 PA licenses in 2019.
Participation in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) has grown steadily over the last four years, according to the report. In 2018, 89 Maine licenses were issued via the IMLC, growing to 110 in 2019, 155 in 2020, and rising significantly to 239 in 2021. Approximately 25% of permanent licenses issued in 2021 were issued through the IMLC process.
Source: Maine Board of Licensure in Medicine 2021 Annual Licensing Report
North Carolina
Licensee Donations Fund Scholarships for Physicians, PAs Coping with Substance Use and Mental Health Issues
The North Carolina Medical Board (NCMB) has reported that its licensees donated more than $200,000 in 2021 to support scholarships for North Carolina physicians and PAs in need of behavioral health assessments or treatment for substance use.
Donations to assist physicians who need financial assistance in order to pay for substance use or behavioral health assessments and treatment were collected through NCMB’s online annual renewal, which invites renewing physicians and PAs to contribute to the NC Professionals Health Program (NCPHP) scholarship funds.
Donations helped support 62 scholarship awards to defray the cost of NCPHP participants’ assessment, outpatient treatment and inpatient treatment services.
According to NCMB, the awards are an important resource for health professionals who, often, are not able to work while seeking help.
Source: North Carolina Medical Board Digital Forum, January–February 2022
North Dakota
North Dakota Board Collaborates with ACCME on Digital CME Process
As a part of its effort to transition from paper-based licensing and renewal processes to a digital system, the North Dakota Board of Medicine has announced that it will participate in the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education’s (ACCME) new Program and Activity Reporting System (PARS).
The Board expects the new partnership to significantly improve the process for reporting and auditing continuing medical education (CME) activities of North Dakota licensed physicians.
As a part of the collaboration, CME providers will be able to report CME credit for North Dakota licensees directly to PARS. The Board will then have the ability to review the data online. Licensees will no longer have to self-report individual CME during audits — instead, the Board will be able to directly verify that the licensee has achieved required CME credits.
Physicians will be able to find CME options through the system, track what CME credit has been reported by CME providers, and generate a transcript of CME credits earned. Physicians who earn credit from CME providers who do not utilize the ACCME/PARS system will still be required to continue to keep an internal verification of their CME.
Source: North Dakota Board of Medicine News Blast, January 2022
West Virginia
Interstate Telehealth Registrations Now Available to Eligible Health Providers in West Virginia
The West Virginia Board of Medicine has begun issuing Interstate Telehealth Registrations to eligible physicians (MDs), podiatric physicians (DPMs) and physician assistants (PAs) who seek to provide telehealth services to patients located in West Virginia from another U.S. state.
The new process is the result of HB 2024, signed into law by Gov. Jim Justice in 2021. Among its provisions, the new law authorizes the establishment of a provider-patient relationship using telehealth technology with real-time audio and video conferencing.
An Interstate Telehealth Registration is not a license to practice medicine and surgery in West Virginia: Practitioners who seek to treat patients in-person in the state, or who seek to provide telehealth services from an office located in West Virginia or from an international location, must hold an active-status West Virginia MD, DPM or PA license.
In order to be eligible to apply for an Interstate Telehealth Registration, a health practitioner must hold a valid, active MD, DPM or PA license issued by another state licensing authority or board; be in good standing in all states in which the practitioner is licensed; not be the subject of a pending administrative complaint before another state licensing authority or board; and not currently be under investigation by another state licensing authority or board.
Initial Interstate Telehealth Registrations are valid for a period of up to one year. Registrations may be renewed annually.
Source: West Virginia Board of Medicine Newsletter, Winter 2022
