The bill passed in Indiana authorizes the Board to issue a limited license to an ITP that pays a $100 application fee; has a medical doctorate or substantially similar degree from an international medical program in good standing as determined by the Board; has ECFMG certification; is in good standing with the medical licensing or regulatory institution in their country of practice and has no pending discipline; completed a residency, clinical training, or PGT “substantially similar, as determined by the Board” to those ACGME-accredited; has practiced medicine or osteopathic medicine for at least five years of the last six years preceding application; passed all Steps of the USMLE; has Federal immigration status; is proficient in English; and has a written offer of employment at a health care facility, defined as a hospital, birthing center, or “other medical facility,” in an underserved area, which are designated by the Dept. of Health; and that facility both agrees to sponsor and supervise the provisional licensee. Limited licensees must practice at qualifying health care facilities defined above, may not practice “ outside the scope of specialty of the onsite board-certified supervising physician,” patients must be informed that they are being seen by a limited licensee, and the licensee’s prescriptive abilities are limited, must be supervised, delineated in a written practice agreement, and a statement from the facility’s governing body granting the licensee practicing privileges. The limited license must be renewed biennially and is valid for six years. After a minimum of five years, the limited license may be converted to full at the discretion of the Board. The Board is empowered to require a comprehensive evaluation to assess the licensee’s competency prior to issuing a full license, and also may revoke the limited license if the licensee ceases practicing at a qualifying facility, or there is another “compelling reason” to do so. The bill is effective July 1, 2025, and sunsets December 31, 2040. Unrelated to additional pathways, the bill also requires applicants for osteopathic licensure to complete COMLEX within 10 years of passing COMLEX Level 1.
The original bill did not have a limitation on time out of practice, required only USMLE Steps 1 & 2 for provisional license, explicitly stated that ITPs needed five years of practice experience post-PGT, and did not have the sponsor and supervise portion of the employment offer. The second revision added an application fee, gave the Board the ability to assess the similarity/quality of foreign PGT, provided more guidance regarding the limited licensee’s supervision and scope, and empowers the Board to utilize a comprehensive assessment prior to issuing a full license.
Final amended version gives the Board discretion to determine international medical programs that meet its standard for limited license applicants, requires the offer of employment to be written, further details the limited licensees circumscribed practice, and adds a decade to the sunset date of the bill. HB 1555 (2025)
