Newswise — WASHINGTON – Iowa became the 10th state to enact the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact after Governor Terry Branstad signed the legislation into law last Thursday. Iowa joins a growing coalition of states across the nation committed to expanding access to quality health care, especially to those in underserved areas of the country. The Compact will expedite the licensing process for qualified physicians and reduce barriers to obtaining licensure in multiple states and jurisdictions.

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact establishes a voluntary pathway that will significantly streamline the licensing process for physicians seeking to practice medicine in Compact states, while maintaining the state regulatory oversight and protections necessary for patient safety. Iowa joins nine other states in enacting the Compact this year, including Alabama, Idaho, Minnesota, Montana, Nevada, South Dakota, Utah, West Virginia, and Wyoming.

Prior to its passage in Iowa, the Compact was endorsed by the Iowa Board of Medicine, Iowa Academy of Family Physicians, Iowa Hospital Association, Iowa Medical Society, and Iowa-based health systems, including Gundersen Health System.

“The Board of Medicine is excited to implement this licensure portability initiative, which will help Iowa’s health care community recruit highly qualified physicians and complement Iowa physicians’ practices that extend beyond the state’s borders,” said Mark Bowden, Executive Director of the Iowa Board of Medicine. “The interstate sharing of medical licensure and regulatory information will strengthen the Board’s ability to protect the public from problematic physicians.”

The final model Interstate Medical Licensure Compact legislation was released in September 2014. Since then, 19 state legislatures have introduced the Compact legislation and nearly 30 state medical and osteopathic boards have publicly expressed support for the Compact. The Compact has been endorsed by a broad coalition of health care stakeholders, including the American Medical Association (AMA).

For more information about the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, visit: http://licenseportability.org/.

About the Federation of State Medical BoardsThe Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is a national non-profit organization representing all medical boards within the United States and its territories that license and discipline allopathic and osteopathic physicians and, in some jurisdictions, other health care professionals. FSMB leads by promoting excellence in medical practice, licensure, and regulation as the national resource and voice on behalf of state medical boards in their protection of the public. To learn more about FSMB visit: http://www.fsmb.org/. You can also follow FSMB on Twitter (@theFSMB) and Facebook by liking the Federation of State Medical Boards page.

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