Massachusetts 2023-2024 Regular Session

Massachusetts Senate Bill S1402 Compare Versions

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

Old	New	Differences
1	1	1 of 1
2	2	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1823 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
3	3	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1402
4	4	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
5	5	_________________
6	6	PRESENTED BY:
7	7	Jason M. Lewis
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 improving healthcare delivery for underserved residents of the commonwealth.
13	13	_______________
14	14	PETITION OF:
15	15	NAME:DISTRICT/ADDRESS :Jason M. LewisFifth MiddlesexJack Patrick Lewis7th Middlesex1/20/2023Joanne M. ComerfordHampshire, Franklin and Worcester1/30/2023Jacob R. OliveiraHampden, Hampshire and Worcester1/30/2023Julian CyrCape and Islands2/10/2023Carmine Lawrence Gentile13th Middlesex2/10/2023Vanna Howard17th Middlesex2/14/2023Michael O. MooreSecond Worcester2/15/2023James B. EldridgeMiddlesex and Worcester2/17/2023 1 of 6
16	16	SENATE DOCKET, NO. 1823 FILED ON: 1/20/2023
17	17	SENATE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . No. 1402
18	18	By Mr. Lewis, a petition (accompanied by bill, Senate, No. 1402) of Jason M. Lewis, Jack
19	19	Patrick Lewis, Joanne M. Comerford, Jacob R. Oliveira and other members of the General Court
20	20	for legislation to improve healthcare delivery for underserved residents of the commonwealth.
21	21	Public Health.
22	22	The Commonwealth of Massachusetts
23	23	_______________
24	24	In the One Hundred and Ninety-Third General Court
25	25	(2023-2024)
26	26	_______________
27	27	An Act improving healthcare delivery for underserved residents of the commonwealth.
28	28	Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority
29	29	of the same, as follows:
30	30	1 SECTION 1. Chapter 112 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2020 Official Edition,
31	31	2is hereby amended by striking out Section 9, and inserting in place thereof the following
32	32	3section:-
33	33	4 Section 9.
34	34	5 (a) An applicant for limited registration under this section may, upon payment of a fee to
35	35	6be determined annually by the commissioner of administration under the provision of section
36	36	7three B of chapter seven, be registered by the board as an intern, fellow or medical officer for
37	37	8such time as it may subscribe if the applicant furnishes the board with satisfactory proof of the
38	38	9following:
39	39	10 (1) The applicant is eighteen or over and of good moral character. 2 of 6
40	40	11 (2) (i) The applicant has creditably completed two years of a premedical course of study
41	41	12in a college or university and not less than three and one-half years of study in a legally chartered
42	42	13medical school having the power to grant degrees in medicine; or (ii) if not enrolled in or a
43	43	14graduate of a legally chartered medical school in the United States or Canada, the applicant is the
44	44	15holder of a standard certificate granted after an examination by the Education Council for
45	45	16Foreign Medical Graduates, unless granted an exemption by the board; or (iii) the applicant has
46	46	17completed two years of premedical education in a college or university of the United States,
47	47	18Canada or Puerto Rico and if the applicant has studied medicine in a medical school outside the
48	48	19United States, Canada or Puerto Rico that is recognized by the World Health Organization, has
49	49	20completed all the formal requirements for the degree corresponding to doctor of medicine, except
50	50	21internship and social service, and has completed a year of clinical clerkship approved by the
51	51	22liaison committee on medical education of the American Medical Association.
52	52	23 (3) The applicant has been appointed as an intern, fellow or medical officer in a hospital
53	53	24or other institution of the commonwealth, or of a county or municipality thereof, or in a hospital
54	54	25or clinic which is incorporated under the laws of the commonwealth or in a clinic which is
55	55	26affiliated with a hospital licensed by the department of public health under authority of section
56	56	27seventy-one of chapter one hundred and eleven, or in an out-patient clinic operated by the
57	57	28department of mental health, or in the department of public health for duty in clinics or in
58	58	29programs operated or approved by the department of public health, or in programs approved by
59	59	30the board of registration in medicine in the commonwealth and leading toward certification by
60	60	31specialty boards recognized by the American Medical Association.
61	61	32 (4) The applicant has applied to participate in the medical assistance program
62	62	33administered by the secretary of health and human services in accordance with chapter 118E and 3 of 6
63	63	34Title XIX of the Social Security Act and any federal demonstration or waiver relating to the
64	64	35medical assistance program for the limited purpose of ordering and referring services covered
65	65	36under the program if regulations governing such limited participation are promulgated under
66	66	37chapter 118E.
67	67	38 Such limited registration shall entitle the applicant to practice medicine only in the
68	68	39hospital, institution, clinic or program designated on the applicant’s certificate of limited
69	69	40registration, or outside such hospital, institution, clinic or program for the treatment, under
70	70	41supervision of one of its medical officers who is a duly registered physician, of persons accepted
71	71	42by it as patients, or in any hospital, institution, clinic or program affiliated for training purposes
72	72	43with the hospital, institution, clinic or program designated on such certificate, which affiliation is
73	73	44approved by the board and in any case under regulations established by such hospital, institution,
74	74	45clinic or program. The name of any hospital, institution, clinic or program so affiliated and so
75	75	46approved shall also be indicated on such certificate. Limited registration under this section may
76	76	47be revoked at any time by the board.
77	77	48 (b) Notwithstanding the other provisions of this section, an internationally-trained
78	78	49physician who has been licensed or otherwise authorized to practice medicine in a country other
79	79	50than the United States shall be eligible to apply for a limited license to practice medicine for a
80	80	51renewable one-year term after satisfying the criteria in below paragraph (3), provided, however,
81	81	52that such limited registration shall provide a pathway for the issuance of a full unrestricted
82	82	53license to practice medicine in accordance with, and upon satisfaction of, the criteria in below
83	83	54paragraph (5). 4 of 6
84	84	55 (1) Definitions. For the purposes of this subsection, the following terms shall have the
85	85	56following meanings —
86	86	57 (i) “Commission” shall mean the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical
87	87	58Graduates.
88	88	59 (ii) “Internationally-trained physician” shall mean a physician who has received a degree
89	89	60of doctor of medicine or its equivalent from a legally chartered medical school outside the
90	90	61United States recognized by the World Health Organization, who has been licensed or otherwise
91	91	62authorized to practice medicine in a country other than the United States, and who has practiced
92	92	63medicine for at least one year.
93	93	64 (iii) “Licensing Exam” shall mean United States Medical Licensing Examination.
94	94	65 (iv) “Massachusetts physician shortage area” shall mean a geographic region or
95	95	66population in the commonwealth experiencing a shortage of physicians, especially primary care
96	96	67physicians or psychiatrists, relative to population and need.
97	97	68 (v) “Participating healthcare facility” shall mean a federally-qualified health center,
98	98	69community health center, hospital, or other healthcare facility approved by the board that
99	99	70provides an assessment and evaluation program designed to develop, assess, and evaluate an
100	100	71internationally-trained physician’s non-clinical skills, according to criteria developed or
101	101	72approved by the board; provided, however, that the participating healthcare facility provides
102	102	73medical care in a Massachusetts physician shortage area. 5 of 6
103	103	74 (2) For the purposes of this subsection, the Massachusetts health care workforce center or
104	104	75its equivalent in the department of public health shall assist the board in determining the regions
105	105	76or populations comprising a Massachusetts physician shortage area.
106	106	77 (3) The board shall issue a limited license to an applicant if the participating facility and
107	107	78the applicant submit evidence acceptable to the board that the applicant:
108	108	79 (i) is an internationally-trained physician;
109	109	80 (ii) has a valid certificate issued by the Commission or other credential evaluation service
110	110	81approved by the board, provided, however, that the board may waive such certification at its
111	111	82discretion where the applicant is unable to obtain the required documentation from a non-
112	112	83cooperating country;
113	113	84 (iii) has achieved a passing score on Step 1 and Step 2-Clinical Knowledge (CK) of the
114	114	85Licensing Exam;
115	115	86 (iv) has entered into an agreement with the participating facility providing that the facility
116	116	87shall develop, assess and evaluate the applicant’s familiarity with non-clinical skills and
117	117	88standards appropriate for medical practice in the commonwealth, according to assessment and
118	118	89evaluation criteria developed or approved by the board;
119	119	90 (v) shall enter a full-time full employment relationship with the participating facility after
120	120	91the board issues a limited license to practice medicine to the applicant; and
121	121	92 (vi) has satisfied other criteria that may be developed by the board in fulfillment of this
122	122	93subsection.
123	123	94 (4) The 1-year limited license may be renewed no more than once. 6 of 6
124	124	95 (5) An internationally-trained physician who provides the board with proof of (i)
125	125	96successful completion of the participating facility’s assessment and evaluation program, (ii) a
126	126	97passing score on Step 3 of the Licensing Exam, and (iii) any additional prerequisites that the
127	127	98board may require, shall be eligible to apply for a renewable 2-year restricted license to practice
128	128	99medicine only in a Massachusetts physician shortage area designated by the board; provided,
129	129	100however, that any additional prerequisites for eligibility shall not include post-graduate clinical
130	130	101training, and that the restricted license shall authorize the holder to practice independently in a
131	131	102primary care specialty, psychiatry, or other specialty approved by the board. After 2 years of
132	132	103restricted practice, the internationally-trained physician shall be eligible to apply for a full,
133	133	104unrestricted license to practice medicine. The 2-year restricted license may be renewed no more
134	134	105than once.