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Health policy researcher calls for making changes permanent

A health policy researcher with the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice calls for some state actions and changes to the healthcare system in response to COVID-19 to be "boundless and permanent." In this article, he focuses on deregulatory trends in healthcare policy: reciprocity of occupational licenses, relaxing requirements for inactive licensees to return to practice, expanding scope of practice, lifting telemedicine regulations, and temporarily suspending continuing education requirements.

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Vermont expedites healthcare professional licensure

A new temporary law in Vermont allows healthcare and mental health professionals with licenses in other states to practice in Vermont without the usual requirements to obtain a Vermont license. Those with an inactive Vermont license within the last three years may also reactivate their licenses. New graduates who have been unable to take their licensing exam can be issued temporary licenses without paying licensure fees. The new law also expands access to telehealth and allows pharmacists to extend previously prescribed maintenance prescriptions or provide substitution of medications if originally prescribed drugs are unavailable.

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India issues Telemedicine Practice Guidelines

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in India has amended the Indian Medical Council Act to add Telemedicine Practice Guidelines. The Guidelines "recognize the significance and value of the practice of telemedicine in times of pandemic and infectious diseases." The Guidelines incorporate the World Health Organization's definition of telemedicine and the New England Journal of Medicine's definition of telehealth. Only Registered Medical Practitioners can practice telemedicine, and all professional and ethical norms and standards for in-person care still apply. Telemedicine may only be practiced with patients in India. An online training course in telemedicine will be required.

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States to temporarily allow inactive healthcare practitioners to practice

The Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation has announced a proclamation to allow out-of-state healthcare providers to provide medical services related to COVID-19. Licensees whose status is inactive, non-renewed or expired will also be able to temporarily restore their licenses if they meet criteria and practice under the Illinois Emergency Management Agency , Department of Public Health or a federally qualified facility.

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The Pennsylvania Bureau of Professional and Occupational Affairs is also allowing inactive or retired licensees in good standing to reactivate their licenses. In-state and out-of-state healthcare providers are now also authorized to treat patients via telemedicine.

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US: changes to telehealth licensing rules

In response to the COVID-19 emergency, the US Department of Health and Human Services has finalized licensure waivers to allow physicians to receive Medicare, Medicaid and CHIP payment for telemedicine services in states where they do not hold a license. At least ten states and the District of Columbia have enacted some sort of licensure waiver to allow out-of-state licensees to provide services related to COVID-19.

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FSMB reports Interstate Medical Licensure Compact data

The Federation of State Medical Boards has released data on the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, showing 6.671 licenses issued through July 31, 2019. Twenty-nine states, DC and Guam are members of the Compact. States issuing the most licenses through the Compact are Wisconsin, Minnesota, Arizona and Iowa. States with the most physicians seeking licensure in an additional state through the Compact are Illinois, Colorado, Wisconsin and Arizona.

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Highlighting approaches to addressing health practitioner shortages

A report by the Association of American Medical Colleges projects a shortage of 120,000 doctors by 2030. This article highlights some approaches being implemented by hospitals and healthcare systems, including:

• launching training and residency programs in rural areas and impoverished cities and encouraging graduates to practice locally;
• employing more advanced practice professionals, such as physicians assistants, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists and nurse midwives, as part of care teams;
• expanding telemedicine to allow real-time examination and monitoring of patients in areas where specialists are in short supply; and
• relieving or reducing clerical burdens associated with electronic health records and introducing programs to promote mental well-being, both aimed at reducing risk of burnout and early retirement.

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Mississippi could expand telemedicine services

Mississippi Board of Medical Licensure regulations about which facilities can provide emergency telemedicine services currently allow only one provider in the state to do so. The Board has proposed a change to the regulation to reduce those restrictions and allow additional facilities to provide emergency telemedicine services. The proposal must still be reviewed by the Occupational Licensing Review Commission.

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General Pharmaceutical Council issues new guidance for online pharmacies

The General Pharmaceutical Council in the UK has issued guidance for online pharmacies and medication delivery services, including the importance of checking and authenticating patient identity and that providers ask for practitioner details and share prescription details with practitioners. The guidance recommends that distance pharmacies keep records beyond what if required of brick and mortar pharmacies. The guidance also suggests that pharmacies providing services across borders must check legal requirements in the country where they are based and the country where the patient is based.

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Michigan joins Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

Michigan becomes the 27th jurisdiction to enact the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact. Supporters of the compact hope that it will allow patients in underserved areas more access to healthcare through telemedicine as well as make it easier to recruit physicians to underserved areas.

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