Newswise — KANSAS CITY, KANSAS (October 17, 2016) – The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission met on October 3 to review the group’s significant progress in developing the infrastructure for a new, voluntary pathway for physicians seeking expedited licensure in multiple states. Since 2015, the Compact has been enacted in 17 states and remains under legislative consideration in Pennsylvania and Michigan.

The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission, which administers the initiative, has set a target goal of January 2017 for qualified physicians to seek licensure in multiple states via the Compact’s expedited licensure process.

“We are very encouraged by the progress we’ve made in recent months toward implementing the Compact process,” said Jon Thomas, MD, the newly elected Chairperson of the Commission. “With the 2017 state legislative session around the corner, we stand ready to assist and support additional states interested in joining the Compact.”

In June, the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), an agency of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, announced a $250,000 annual grant for three years to support state medical and osteopathic boards as they implement the administrative and technical infrastructure of the Compact.

During its October 3 meeting, Commission members elected the following officers:

• Chair: Jon Thomas, MD (Minnesota)• Vice Chair: Mark Bowden (Iowa)• Secretary: Diana Shepard, CMBE (West Virginia)• Treasurer: Brian Zachariah, MD (Illinois)

For more information about the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, please visit: http://www.licenseportability.org.

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About the Federation of State Medical BoardsThe Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB) is a national non-profit organization representing all medical boards within the United States and its territories that license and discipline allopathic and osteopathic physicians and, in some jurisdictions, other health care professionals. The FSMB serves as the voice for state medical boards, supporting them through education, assessment, research and advocacy while providing services and initiatives that promote patient safety, quality health care and regulatory best practices. To learn more about FSMB, visit http://www.fsmb.org/. You can also follow FSMB on Twitter (@theFSMB and @FSMBPolicy).