Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts House Bill H2272 Compare Versions

Only one version of the bill is available at this time.

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1958 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
3	3	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2272
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Aaron L. Saunders
8	8	_________________
9	9	To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in General
10	10	Court assembled:
11	11	The undersigned legislators and/or citizens respectfully petition for the adoption of the accompanying bill:
12	12	An Act relative to physician licensure.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :DATE ADDED:Aaron L. Saunders7th Hampden1/19/2023 1 of 2
16	16	HOUSE DOCKET, NO. 1958 FILED ON: 1/19/2023
17	17	HOUSE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 2272
18	18	By Representative Saunders of Belchertown, a petition (accompanied by bill, House, No. 2272)
19	19	of Aaron L. Saunders relative to physician licensure. Public Health.
20	20	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
21	21	_______________
22	22	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
23	23	(2023-2024)
24	24	_______________
25	25	An Act relative to physician licensure.
26	26	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
27	27	of the same, as follows:
28	28	1 SECTION 1 Notwithstanding any general or special law to the contrary, the executive
29	29	2office of health and human services shall establish a task force on an interstate medical licensure
30	30	3compact and licensure reciprocity. The task force shall consist of: the secretary of the executive
31	31	4office of health and human services or a designee who shall serve as chair; the commissioner of
32	32	5the department of public health or a designee; the commissioner of the department of mental
33	33	6health or a designee; the executive director of the board of registration in medicine or a designee;
34	34	7the Undersecretary of the office of consumer affairs and business regulation or a designee; a
35	35	8representative from the health policy commission; a representative from the Massachusetts
36	36	9Medical Society; a representative from the Massachusetts Health and Hospital Association; and a
37	37	10representative from the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers.
38	38	11 b) The task force shall conduct an analysis and issue a report evaluating the
39	39	12commonwealth’s options to facilitate appropriate interstate medical practice and the practice of
40	40	13telemedicine including the potential entry into an interstate medical licensure compact or other 2 of 2
41	41	14reciprocity agreement. The analysis and report shall include but not be limited to: (i) an analysis
42	42	15of physician job vacancies in the commonwealth broken down by practice specialization and
43	43	16projected vacancies based on the demographics of the commonwealth’s physician workforce and
44	44	17medical school graduate retention rates; (ii) an analysis of other states’ entry into the interstate
45	45	18medical licensure compact and any impact on quality of care resulting from entry; (iii) an
46	46	19analysis of the ability of physicians to provide follow-up care across state lines, including via
47	47	20telehealth; (iv) an analysis of registration models for providers who may provide care for patients
48	48	21via telehealth with the provider located in one state and the patient located in another state,
49	49	22provided that said analysis would include delineation of provider responsibilities for registration
50	50	23and reporting to state professional licensure boards; (v) an analysis of impacts to health care
51	51	24quality, cost and access resulting from other states’ entry into a medical licensure compact, as
52	52	25well as anticipated impacts to health care quality, cost and access associated with entry into an
53	53	26interstate medical licensure compact; (vi) evaluations of barriers and solutions regarding
54	54	27prescribing across state lines; (vii) evaluations of the feasibility of a regional reciprocity
55	55	28agreement allowing telemedicine across state lines both for existing patient provider
56	56	29relationships and/or the establishment of new relationships; (viii) evaluations of the feasibility of
57	57	30the establishment of interstate proxy credentialing; and (ix) recommendations regarding the
58	58	31commonwealth’s entry into an interstate physician licensure compact or other licensure
59	59	32reciprocity agreements.
60	60	33 (c) The task force shall submit its recommendations to the governor and the clerks of the
61	61	34house of representatives and the senate not later than October 1, 2023