Florida Medical License - Becoming one of the top 10 Fastest States

With the recent changes in review policy which the Florida Board of Medicine implemented, the licensing process which our physicians are experiencing with the Florida Medical Board continues to run between 45 days to 3 months. We recently licensed our second physician in less than 46 days. Florida has a reputation of being a very difficult medical board to apply to but our experience has been for the most part to the contrary. If a physician does not have any negative issues, then the process will be quicker than the national average.

Texas Medical Board - June 2007

The Texas Medical Board recently updated their licensure requirements for Physicians. Instead of the 10 year employment verification requirement, physicians now only have to verify 5 years. State License Verifications are now a thing of the past. Evidently the Texas Medical Board is just pulling the disciplinary report from the FSMB to satisfy this requirement. Unfortunately the SPEX Examination is still a barrier which continues to exist for more experienced Physicians. The SPEX is an object lesson in lunacy. We had two physicians apply to Texas. One was the Program Director of a Residency Program in New York. The other was a Resident of the Program Director's Residency Program. Texas licensed the Resident in 4 months. The Program Director who taught the Resident took 10 months. He was forced to take the SPEX examination by the Texas Medical Board. He was board certified in Radiology. The American Board of Radiology does not re-certify its' members. They are grandfathered in. As such Texas wanted to make sure that he was "competent". They accepted the Student but doubted the Student's Teacher. I cannot see the reasoning in that but since when has common sense applied to the Texas Medical Board?

Physician Document Management

After Hurricane Katrina, MedLicense.com was inundated with licensing request from Physicians fleeing the aftermath of the massive storm. Unfortunately, most lost everything in the flooding. This included their medical school diploma, training certificates, board certification certificates, malpractice documents, birth certificates, passports, state license certificates, and all other pertinent documents required during the credentialing process with Governmental Agencies, Hospitals, and Insurance Companies. This presented unique problems with the licensing process for these Hurricane Katrina victims. The Medical Boards were forced to afford these physicians waivers of their mandated document requirements.

Because of this, MedLicense.com began to offer Document Storage Services. Basically, our clients forward to us a notarized copy of all important documents related to the credentialing process. These include Certificates, Diplomas, ID Documents, Court Papers, Board Actions, Criminal Papers, Divorce Decrees, Name Change Documents, Immigration Papers, and etc. MedLicense.com scans each document for permanent storage. All such documents are stored on a CD, a Storage Device, and off site through a secure 3rd party Storage Firm. The hard copies are kept under lock and key in a Dry Room. In the event that a physician credentials with a agency, government, or hospital, MedLicense.com emails the physician packet to the facility and mails a hard copy.

The service is invaluable to those physician who have gone through a disaster, crisis, divorce, or instance which inhibits their ability to access their important documents.

New Jersey Medical Board

The Residency Rush is over for the New Jersey Medical Board. The majority of physician applying through the June 2007 bubble have now mostly been processed. This will provide for a more expedited process for physicians seeking a New Jersey Medical License. Over the past 2 months, the biggest issue with the New Jersey Medical Board has been having the Board assign a reviewer to the Doctor's file. Now this should occur more rapidly.

North Carolina Medical Board - New Online Submission Application

The North Carolina Medical Board recently switched to a new online submission system. Unlike other online applications, (i.e. CLAF - Ohio/Kentucky, FCVS, Texas, and etc.), this one is a winner. The information entered into their system is saved for future access. With the File ID # and Date of Birth, the Physician can re-access the application. Once submitted, the NC Medical Board automatically tracks the progress of the application and verification process. The Physician can log on at any time to receive updates. No communication with the NC Board should be needed with most applicants due to this feature. I like the system and the way NC has set it up.

Rhode Island Medical Board

The Rhode Island Medical Board is one of the few Boards which mandate the use of FCVS. The difference between Rhode Island and other Boards is that Rhode Island will issue the full license without receiving the FCVS packet. FCVS typically takes 4 to 9 months to complete a physician's packet. Rhode Island recognizes this fact and as such allows the Physicians to practice medicine without the completed packet. Once the reference forms/employment verifications, State License Verifications, and other verifications are received, the application is submitted to the full Board and then the license is issued. The New Hampshire Medical Board has a similar policy with the exception that a temporary license is issued once a minimum amount of credentialing has occurred instead of a full unrestricted license.