Nebraska becomes 19th state to join the IMLC

On April 26, Nebraska became the nineteenth state to join the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC), according to an announcement from the Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB). The law authorizing the compact adoption, which was sponsored by State Senator Carol Blood (D-District 3), passed the legislature in a 49–0 vote.

“On behalf of the Federation of State Medical Boards, I congratulate Nebraska on becoming a part of the group of states that have joined the Compact,” said FSMB President and CEO Humayun Chaudhry, DO, MACP in the federation’s statement. “This is a major win for patient safety and will help increase access to care for Nebraskans living in rural and underserved communities.”

Five years in the making, the IMLC was created to streamline the process for securing medical licenses in multiple states, and by extension, to address escalating physician shortages and increasing interest in telemedicine. The compact offers an alternative pathway for licensing eligible physicians who wish to practice in multiple states by allowing participating states to share credentialing information. Through the compact, physicians do not have to submit a separate application for each state, as is the traditional process.

The announcement of Nebraska’s participation in the compact comes just weeks after the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact Commission officially began accepting applications from physicians seeking authorization to practice in multiple states and just days after the commission issued its first license across state lines. The application for that inaugural license, received on April 8, was submitted by a physician with a principle license in Wisconsin, who was requesting a license in Colorado. The letter of qualification was sent to Colorado on April 19, and the Colorado license was issued the following day.  

In addition to the 19 states that have adopted the IMLC, six states and the District of Columbia have introduced legislation in support of a pathway for license portability.

Click here to learn more about the IMLC.