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Evolving physician practices create challenges for state licensing boards

Medical Staff Briefing, June 1, 2009

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In recent months, state medical boards have been accused of failing to verify whether physicians applying or reapplying for medical licenses are clinically active or keeping up with their continuing medical education (CME) credits.
Protecting the Public: State Medical Board Licensure Policies for Active and Inactive Physicians, a report published in the February Pediatrics, reveals that only 34% of state licensing boards verify physicians’ clinical and CME activity when issuing or reissuing licenses. Additionally, only one board requires physicians to see a minimum number of patients to maintain an active license.
“I have not once in my 20-plus years of experience received a request from a licensing board to see if a physician still has privileges and is in good standing. I only get these requests when a physician applies for the first time to get a license,” says Richard Baker, CPMSM, CPCS, director of medical staff services at Gulf Coast Medical Center in Panama City, FL.
This means that possibly thousands of retired, semi-retired, or otherwise inactive physicians hold active medical/surgical licenses. “We don’t know how much of an issue this is or how much it affects the work force,” says Barbara Schneidman, MD, interim CEO at the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB).

This is an excerpt from a member only article. To read the article in its entirety, please login or subscribe to Medical Staff Briefing.

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