AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
In the coming decade, Texas faces a significant shortage of primary care physicians to meet the health care needs of our growing population. International medical graduates comprise an important and growing portion of Texas' primary care workforce. However, under current Texas law, international medical graduates cannot receive a medical license until they have completed three full years of residency training. In contrast, physicians who graduated from United States medical schools are eligible for a Texas license after completing only one year of residency.
This requirement causes international medical graduates completing residency training in Texas to either delay taking their board examination or obtain another state medical license that does not impose this restriction. Forcing international medical graduates to wait three years before being granted a Texas medical license adds up to months of unnecessary and costly delays before they can begin caring for patients.
S.B. 1022 amends the Occupations Code to allow international medical graduates to receive a medical license after completing two full years of residency training. This would address all relevant issues by giving them sufficient time to complete the licensure process, become eligible to take their board certification exam at the proper time, and be able to be properly credentialed with payers at the time they finish their residency training and are otherwise fully prepared for practice. The bill would ensure that these physicians can start caring for Texas patients, thereby improving Texans' access to health care.
As proposed, S.B. 1022 amends current law relating to the graduate medical training requirements for certain foreign medical school graduates applying for a license to practice medicine in this state.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Section 155.003(a), Occupations Code, as follows:
(a) Requires an applicant, to be eligible for a license under this chapter, to present proof satisfactory to the Texas Medical Board (TMB) that the applicant met certain requirements, including that an applicant has either successfully completed one year of graduate medical training approved by TMB in the United States or Canada, or graduated from a medical school located outside the United States or Canada and has successfully completed two, rather than three, years of graduate medical training approved by TMB in the United States or Canada.
SECTION 2. Amends Section 155.004, Occupations Code, as follows:
Sec. 155.004. ADDITIONAL ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS FOR GRADUATES OF CERTAIN FOREIGN MEDICAL SCHOOLS. Requires that a license applicant who is a graduate of a medical school that is located outside the United States or Canada present proof satisfactory to TMB that the applicant met certain requirements, including having successfully completed at least two years of graduate medical training in the United States or Canada that was approved by TMB, rather than successfully completed at least three years of graduate medical training in the United States or Canada that was approved by TMB, or at least two years of graduate medical training in the United States or Canada that was approved by TMB and at least one year of graduate medical training outside the United States or Canada that was approved for advanced standing by a specialty board organization approved by TMB.
SECTION 3. Amends Section 155.005(a), Occupations Code, to make a conforming change.
SECTION 4. Makes application of Sections 155.003, 155.004, and 155.005, Occupations Code, prospective.
SECTION 5. Effective date: September 1, 2011.