Ratification of the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and making appropriations. (FE)

2. A process whereby a physician who possesses a license to engage in the practice of medicine issued by a member board and who satisfies other criteria designates a state where the physician is already licensed as his or her state of principal license and applies to the member board in that state for licensure through the compact. After a verification and registration process that includes a background check, the physician may receive an "expedited license" in other states that are parties to the compact. If a physician's license in his or her state of principal license is revoked or suspended, then all expedited licenses issued by other states are revoked or suspended as well until each is reinstated.

3. The ability for member boards to conduct joint investigations of physicians and the ability of member states to issue subpoenas that are enforceable in other states.

4. The creation of a coordinated information system including a database of all physicians who have applied for or received an expedited license. The compact requires, or in other cases allows, for member boards to submit public actions, complaints, or disciplinary information to the commission.

The compact provides that it becomes effective upon being enacted into law by seven states and that it may be amended upon enactment of an amendment by all member states. A state may withdraw from the compact by repealing the statute authorizing the compact, but the compact provides that a withdrawal does not take effect until one year after the effective date of that repeal.

The compact provides that laws of a member state that are not inconsistent with the compact may be enforced, but that all laws of a member state in conflict with the compact are superseded to the extent of the conflict.

In addition to enacting the compact, the bill provides all of the following:

1. Numerous limitations on the sharing of information under the compact about physicians, including limiting disclosures to physicians who have designated or applied to designate this state as their state of principal license or who hold or are applying to hold expedited licenses granted by the Wisconsin Medical Examining Board (MEB). The bill also includes limitations with respect to the enforceability of subpoenas under the compact and investigations of other states' medical practice laws.

2. A requirement that the Wisconsin MEB report annually to the Joint Committee on Finance about investigations of physicians under the compact.

3. That payment of this state's assessments under the commission is from licensure fees paid by physicians who have applied for licensure through the compact.