On June 24th, House Bill 67 was passed by the NC House and quickly signed into law by Governor Josh Stein on July 1st. One important portion of this bill is the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) law, which is designed to improve access to health care by creating an efficient licensure process that allows physicians to become licensed in all participating states.

Here’s what this law means for our members and patients:

NCMS has actively supported the IMLC and has included the proposal in its legislative priorities since it was first introduced. To date, 41 states have adopted some portion of the IMLC.

Once fully implemented, the IMLC will allow physicians to more efficiently obtain a medical license in multiple states in one single process. The IMLC also has the potential to reduce the negative impact of non-compete clauses as non-compete clauses are generally unenforceable across state lines.

• Defined Licensure Process. This law defines how physicians must apply for and obtain a medical license through the IMLC.
• Joint Investigations. HB67 authorizes collaboration between the IMLC and the NC Medical Board to conduct joint investigations into physicians’ conduct or qualifications.
• Specified Disciplinary Actions. The law specifies how disciplinary actions taken by any state that participates in the IMLC will affect a physician’s compact license status in other participating states.
• IMLC Governance Structure. It outlines the organizational and decision-making framework of the IMLC.
• NC Medical Board Representation. The law allows the NC Medical Board to appoint members to serve on the IMLC’s governing Commission.