New plan would permit doctors to treat patients in other states

(HealthDay)—A proposal to make it much easier for doctors licensed in one state to treat patients in other states in person, online, or by videoconference has been prepared by the Federation of State Medical Boards, which includes the agencies that license and discipline doctors.

The draft plan would lead to the biggest change in medical licensing in the United States in decades and could help ease the doctor shortage that's becoming a growing problem as millions of people get health coverage under the Affordable Care Act, The New York Times reported.

The proposal was created in the form of a legally binding agreement among states. In a recent letter, 10 Republican and six Democrat senators endorsed the plan.

"The proposed compact would create a new pathway to speed the licensing of doctors seeking to practice medicine in multiple states," Humayun Chaudhry, D.O., president of the Federation of State Medical Boards, told The Times. "It would allow doctors to see more patients than ever before, if they want to."