In order to provide patient care, a physician must have a license in the state where that patient is located, even if the physician already has an active license in another state. In response to this longstanding requirement, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact was established in April 2015 to streamline the medical licensure process for Medical Doctors (MDs) and Doctors of Osteopathic Medicine (DOs) who wish to practice in multiple states. To provide information about the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, the Oregon Medical Board reviewed and approved White Paper: Interstate Medical Licensure Compact and Oregon.
Oregon has not joined Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, but the Board is focused on streamlining the medical license application process for physicians and increasing the ability for physicians to provide care to Oregonians via telemedicine.
- Expedited Endorsement. The Oregon Medical Board already has a streamlined licensing process through expedited endorsement, which allows qualified applicants who are currently licensed in another state to forego primary source verification of core credentials.
- Telemedicine. The use of Telemedicine has grown substantially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Oregon law allows out-of-state physicians to provide care in Oregon via telemedicine without obtaining an Oregon license when the patient is temporarily located in Oregon and has an existing provider-patient relationship with the out-of-state physician.20Further, the Oregon Medical Board's Statement of Philosophy recognizes that a physician can provide temporary or intermittent follow-up care for a person located in Oregon if they have an established provider-patient relationship.