Dear Missouri AAPS members and friends,

We are writing today to alert you to upcoming legislation that must be STOPPED! It is extremely likely that in 2015 legislation will be introduced that will hand control of aspects of the practice of medicine in Missouri over to unelected bureaucrats in Texas!  You read that right: the Federation of State Medical Boards, based near Dallas, is pushing legislatures across the country to adopt their “Interstate Medical Licensing Compact.”

Please call your state legislators TODAY and tell them to oppose any attempt to adopt this compact in Missouri. [find your House member | find your Senator].  In addition, contact the Missouri Medical Board to voice your opposition.

This compact will lead to reduced patient access to physicians by creating an entire new bureaucracy full of additional rules, regulations, and costs for physicians that have no proven connection to improved patient care.  This compact risks harming rather than helping Missouri patients and physicians.

One shocking part of the proposed compact:

The FSMB would require physicians seeking a license via the compact to participate in Maintenance of Certification (MOC). In fact, the compact defines “physician” as one who holds specialty certification recognized by the American Board of Medical Specialties or the American Osteopathic Association’s Bureau of Osteopathic Specialists. NO STATE currently defines a physician in this manner.

The adoption of such a definition of “physician” in the compact could open the floodgates to regulations requiring MOC for ALL physicians in order to keep their medical license; it appears  to be yet another shameless attempt to force this counterproductive money-making scheme on physicians. Mandatory MOC would harm patient access to medical care from independent physicians of their choosing.

Here is a list of additional  important reasons why it must be opposed:

• The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact will supersede Missouri’s autonomy and control over the practice of medicine;

• The out-of-state, unelected, Interstate Commission will likely cause changes to Missouri’s Medical Practice Act, without oversight by Missouri voters;

• There will be significant financial costs to states joining such an Interstate Medical Licensure Compact;

• It will be difficult and expensive for Missouri to extricate itself from the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact;

• The cost of obtaining medical licenses will be dramatically increased, and Missouri must protect its citizens from regulatory excesses;

• The Interstate Medical Licensure Compact would require physicians to participate in onerous and counter-productive Maintenance of Certification to be licensed under this compact, reducing patient access to care.

For more background and a model resolution that the Missouri legislature can pass to oppose this compact CLICK HERE.

Please contact your legislator today and stay-tuned.  We are tracking this important issue and will update you as more details become available.