Wyoming first to adopt groundbreaking physician compact law

Mark down Wyoming, a state with a chronic shortage of doctors, as officially first on the list of states to adopt the proposed physician licensure compact which eventually would allow physicians to relocate their professional license almost as easily as their driver’s license.

According to a piece published by the Wyoming Public News Network, getting doctors to move and practice in the first state to recognize women’s right to vote has been a trying affair. So, the Legislature has come up with what they hope is an enticing compromise; a compromise that seeks to provide more available healthcare to the rural residents in the Cowboy state where it has been conspicuously lacking.

According to the report, Wyoming will be the first to officially pass a new compact law that will allow doctors to practice across state lines in a more timely fashion by expediting the re-licensing process required for out of state practicing.

Since the bill is a compact law, seven states will have to approve the law in order for it to take effect. Utah and South Dakota have already passed the law, but will have to wait until the end of their legislature sessions in order for it to become official. Getting additional states to pass the law will not be a problem, according the Rep. Sue Wilson of Cheyenne, who sponsored the bill.

“South Dakota and Utah have already passed and many more are currently considering similar bills,” stated Wilson.

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