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