FixLicensure.org is a website promoting national licensure for medical professionals (I hope that independent mental health providers would also be included).
These folks are working with Senator Tom Udall (D-NM) and have briefed congress on issues related to telehealth and provider mobility.
Sign their petition to show support for this important issue.
The argument is being framed around the lack of access for military personnel (active and veteran) to mental health care and the promise of telehealth as a solution. Since military providers are licensed in their home state and able to practice across the nation, and, can help soldiers remotely when both are in a military facility there does seem to be some opportunity for change.
Other folks argue that the licensure process goes beyond insuring all practitioners meet minimum quality standards and is more properly a gate-keeping function that discourages people from entering the field. Clearly, with licensed providers being disciplined for ethics and fraud the quality standards can not be insured through verification alone. With the workforce issues in behavioral health this function is questionable.
To even cross the bar to be licensed an applicant must have educational experience from an accredited university. Well, let me re-phrase that, "to get a job in North Carolina you must have graduated from an accredited university." And, to get a license you must have completed coursework equal to the CACREP standards.
I think that I would support national reciprocity. That would allow states to set home rules while allowing licensed professionals mobility. For instance, if your get licensed in NC in 2002 and apply for licensure in TN in 2012 you will have to meet the 2012 rules. The bar has been raised in the intervening 10 years.
to review my earlier notes on this topc.
No comments:
Post a Comment