Dr. Laurie Duncan Testifies to Council on Expedited Physician Licensure May 21, 2021

Today, MSDC Executive Committee member Laurie Duncan, MBBS, FACP, testified on behalf of the Society at a hearing on the end of safety net protections post-public health emergency. Dr. Duncan spoke before the Special Committee on COVID-19 Pandemic Recovery, co-Chaired by Councilmembers Vincent Gray and Charles Allen. Below are her written comments:

Dear Co-Chairs Allen and Gray, 
 
Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to testify today at this hearing. My name is Laurie Duncan, and I serve as the Secretary and a Board member for the Medical Society of DC. I am also a Ward 6 resident. MSDC is the largest medical organization representing metropolitan Washington physicians in the District. We advocate on behalf of all 11,000 plus licensed physicians in the District and seek to make the District “the best place to practice medicine”. 

My fellow panelists today will speak to a variety of healthcare issues, and MSDC is supportive of and working on many of them, especially on provider resiliency and burnout. However, I want to focus my brief testimony on one issue that would ensure District residents can receive the best care from area providers. 

During the public health emergency, DC Health’s Administrative Order #2020-02, dated March 13, permitted a healthcare provider, “licensed in their home jurisdiction in their field of expertise who is providing healthcare to District residents shall be deemed a temporary agent of the District of Columbia.” Practically this permitted physicians throughout the region to treat patients – often through telemedicine – without applying for a new license. 

Virginia and Maryland currently have an expedited medical licensure process. If you are a regional physician, and you meet the criteria for licensure in Maryland or Virginia, you can apply for a license but receive approval to practice more quickly. This is a major advantage for providers and practices in these states as they can license colleagues in the other state efficiently. The District should also create an expedited licensure process for Maryland and Virginia physicians. This allows (1) regional health systems to efficiently license their providers, (2) local physician practices to more quickly bring on new staff, and (3) patients to see their physician without interruption via telemedicine.

MSDC is pleased that DC is a member of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, which looks to address this issue, as is Maryland. However, Virginia is not. Attached to this testimony is the statutory language from both Maryland and Virginia. While focused on physicians, we are comfortable that such language can also be used for other healthcare providers as needed.

Please reach out to the MSDC office if I or our membership can be of assistance on this or any issue. We look forward to working with you and the Committee to make the District the best place to practice medicine.
 
Sincerely,
Laurie Duncan, MBBS, FACP, MS
Secretary and At-Large Director, MSDC Board of Directors


Maryland
Initial Licensure by Reciprocity.
A. Requirements. An applicant for initial licensure by reciprocity shall:
(1) Have an active, unrestricted license to practice medicine in another jurisdiction that:
(a) At the time the applicant was licensed, had licensure requirements substantially equivalent to the Board’s current licensure requirements as set forth in Regulation .03 of this chapter; and
(b) Offers a similar reciprocal licensure process to physicians licensed by the Board;
(2) Be in good standing under the laws of every jurisdiction where the individual is licensed; and
(3) Submit to a State and national criminal history records check in accordance with Health Occupations Article, §14-308.1, Annotated Code of Maryland.
B. Documentation. An applicant for initial licensure by reciprocity shall submit:
(1) An application for reciprocity on a form provided by the Board;
(2) The application fee as set by the Board;
(3) Evidence of compliance with §A of this regulation; and
(4) Any additional documentation set forth in Regulation .04 of this chapter that is needed for the Board to evaluate an application.
C. On receipt of the documentation required in §B of this regulation, the Board shall process the application for initial license by reciprocity in an expedited manner.
D. The Board may not issue a license if the criminal history records information, pursuant to §A of this regulation, has not been received.
E. After a license is issued, the licensee is subject to the Board’s jurisdiction and shall comply with all laws and regulations governing the practice of medicine in the State.

Virginia 
 
Applicants from other states without reciprocity; temporary licenses or certificates for certain practitioners of the healing arts.
 
A. The Board, in its discretion, may issue certificates or licenses to applicants upon endorsement by boards or other appropriate authorities of other states or territories or the District of Columbia with which reciprocal relations have not been established if the credentials of such applicants are satisfactory and the examinations and passing grades required by such other boards are fully equal to those required by the Virginia Board.
The Board may issue certificates or licenses to applicants holding certificates from the national boards of their respective branches of the healing arts if their credentials, schools of graduation and national board examinations and results are acceptable to the Board. The Board shall promulgate regulations in order to carry out the provisions of this section.
The Board of Medicine shall prioritize applicants for licensure as a doctor of medicine or osteopathic medicine, a physician assistant, or a nurse practitioner from such states that are contiguous with the Commonwealth in processing their applications for licensure by endorsement through a streamlined process, with a final determination regarding qualification to be made within 20 days of the receipt of a completed application.
B. The Board may issue authorization to practice valid for a period not to exceed three months to a practitioner of the healing arts licensed or certified and in good standing with the applicable regulatory agency in the state, District of Columbia, or Canada where the practitioner resides when the practitioner is in Virginia temporarily to practice the healing arts (i) in a summer camp or in conjunction with patients who are participating in recreational activities, (ii) in continuing education programs, or (iii) by rendering at any site any health care services within the limits of his license or certificate, voluntarily and without compensation, to any patient of any clinic that is organized in whole or in part for the delivery of health care services without charge as provided in § 54.1-106. A fee not to exceed $25 may be charged by the Board for the issuance of authorization to practice pursuant to the provisions of this subsection.
Code 1950, §§ 54-276.5, 54-310; 1954, c. 626; 1958, c. 161; 1960, cc. 333, 334; 1970, c. 69; 1972, c. 15; 1973, c. 529; 1975, c. 508; 1981, c. 300; 1985, c. 303; 1988, c. 765; 1992, c. 414; 1993, c. 784; 2016, c. 494; 2020, cc. 236, 368.