The Art of Medicine with Dr. Andrew Wilner

The Art of Medicine, Episode #30, Repairing Licensing and credentialing

April 04, 2021 Andrew Wilner, MD
The Art of Medicine with Dr. Andrew Wilner
The Art of Medicine, Episode #30, Repairing Licensing and credentialing
Show Notes


Many thanks to Donnie Bell, MD, a neuro-interventional radiologist and Deputy Chief Medical Officer for New York City Health and Hospitals in New York City, NY, for chatting with me today. Dr. Bell is a co-author of a recent article published in the Journal of the American Medical Association along with Michael Katz, MD, that speaks to the necessity of modernizing the medical licensing and credentialing process due to time-wasting redundancies and inefficiencies. Dr. Bell has first-hand knowledge of these issues from personal experience and overseeing his institution’s medical staff credentialing process.

Dr. Bell confirmed that delayed and cumbersome credentialing experiences commonly occur across the country. This chronic problem disproportionately affects physicians who practice locum tenens and telemedicine, who often maintain more than one medical license and credentialing at multiple institutions. Locum tenens physicians often carry five or more state licenses, and I have heard of telemedicine physicians with thirty or more. 

In New York City, the bureaucratic obstacle to clinical care of licensing and credentialing became acutely apparent during the COVID-19 pandemic when additional providers were needed emergently. Even though regulatory bodies lifted some restrictions using “disaster” mode, many practitioners had to wait far too long before they could assist in desperately needed patient care. These barriers affected not only physicians but other health care providers as well.

Dr. Bell discussed the pros and cons of a national medical license, which would facilitate physician movement throughout the country. A common physician database, which already exists in the form of the National Provider Identifier (NPI) identifier, could facilitate the process. As proof of concept, the Veterans Health Administration, the largest health care system in the United States, only requires its physicians to maintain a single state license. An international medical certificate would further increase physician mobility and access to care.

Dr. Bell suggested that one hypothetical consequence of abandoning state medical board jurisdiction is that disciplinary action against physicians might be more difficult to enforce. According to Dr. Bell, it is too early to determine whether the relaxation of licensing and credentialing during the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in any patient harm. 

If you enjoy an episode, please share with friends and colleagues. "The Art of Medicine with Dr. Andrew Wilner" is now available on Alexa! Just say, "Play podcast The Art of Medicine with Dr. Andrew Wilner!"

To never miss a program, subscribe at www.andrewwilner.com. You'll learn about new episodes and other interesting programs I host on Medscape.com, ReachMD.com, and RadioMD.com.

Please rate and review each episode.

To contact Dr. Wilner or to join the mailing list: www.andrewwilner.com

To support this program: https://www.patreon.com/andrewwilner

Finally, this production has been made possible in part by support from “The Art of Medicine's” wonderful sponsor, Locumstory.com, a resource where providers can get real, unbiased answers about locum tenens. If you are interested in locum tenens, or considering a new full-time position, please go to Locumstory.com.


Or paste this link into your browser:

...