BAM Medical Staffing Logo 100pxThe Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (“IMLC”) is an agreement between 29 states to streamline licensing applications for physicians seeking to practice medicine in multiple states. Rather than completing applications in each state, the IMLC creates an expedited pathway to licensure where eligible physicians complete one application and then may submit that single application to multiple states.

It is important to note that the IMLC doesn’t create a single license for physicians to practice in multiple states. Instead it streamlines the application process so that physicians can apply for separate licenses in each state with less paperwork. Physicians will still need to pay licensing fees in each state and will be subject to practice requirements unique to each state Medical Practice Act and to each state medical board.

Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Requirements

According to the IMLC web site, applicants to the IMLC must meet several requirements.

Qualified physicians must have a full unrestricted license in a state that is part of the compact that can be considered your State of Principal Licensure (“SPL”). In order to declare a state as your SPL, you have to meet one of the following criteria:

  1. Your primary residence is in the SPL
  2. At least 25% of your practice of medicine occurs in the SPL
  3. Your employer is located in the SPL
  4. You use the SPL as your state of residence for U.S. federal income tax purposes

Once you have declared a SPL, you must also meet the following criteria for licensure:

  1. Be a graduate from an accredited medical school.
  2. Successfully completed an ACGME- or AOA-accredited graduate medical education (in other words, residents can’t apply)
  3. Pass each component of the USMLE, COMLEX-USA, or equivalent in no more than three attempts for each component.
  4. Possess a current specialty certification by an ABMS or AOA-BOS board.
  5. No prior disciplinary actions or controlled substance actions against any medical license.
  6. No prior criminal history.
  7. Have no current investigation involving any of the above.

Next Steps in Applying for Licensure Through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

If you meet the above criteria you’ll need to fill out an online application. As part of the application process, you’ll need to pay a NONREFUNDABLE $700 fee and will need to submit fingerprints to your state for a criminal background check.

If the physician meets all requirements and passes the background check, the the State of Principal License will issue a “Letter of Qualification” stating that the physician is allowed to participate in the Compact. The physician then chooses the states for licensure and, upon receiving the Letter of Qualification and paying for each individual state’s licensing fee, those states then grant the physician a license. The Letter of Qualification is valid for one year.

State licensing fees vary considerably. According to the IMLC web site, fees can be as little as $75 in Alabama and Wisconsin, average $400-$500 in most states, and are $650 Vermont, $700 in Maine, and top out at $790 in Maryland.

If a physician wishes to remain in the IMLC after the Letter of Qualification expires, the physician must pay another $700 fee and reapply.

License Renewal Through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact

If initial licensure in a given state is obtained through the IMLC, that state license must also be renewed through the IMLC.

The renewal process involves completing a short questionnaire, signing an affidavit, and paying the licensure renewal fee. The IMLC then notifies the state of the renewal application and the state updates the physician’s licensure status.

Conclusions

The IMLC is an easy way to apply for licensing in multiple states, but that convenience comes at a cost. Applicants basically have to pay an additional $700 per year to use the Compact and to maintain renewal status of licenses in participating states. In some cases, it may be more cost efficient to apply for single licenses outside of the Compact – depending on the frequency with which a licensee may want to work in other states.

Fingerprinting is mandatory in the IMLC initial application. Some privacy-oriented people may not want to submit to fingerprinting for the sake of this convenience. However, many states now require fingerprinting as a condition of initial licensure, so medical providers may be forced to submit to fingerprinting to become licensed in many states.

States NOT requiring fingerprinting for initial licensure include: Alaska, Colorado, Connecticut, Georgia, Hawaii, Maine, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Jersey, New York, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Utah, Vermont, Wisconsin.

For any questions about the IMLC process, a list of contacts for each state can be found here.

Want help finding locum tenens work or applying f0r a state license? Give us a call. We’ll do what we can to help.