Medical Boards Prioritize Opioids, Telemedicine

Physician burnout, medical marijuana, and interstate medical licensure also top the list of concerns for the nation’s state medical boards.

Opioid prescribing and telemedicine are the most important regulatory issues for state medical boards, according to an annual survey by the Federation of State Medical Boards.

"Our member boards play a central role in providing guidance to policymakers and healthcare professionals on how to navigate some of our nation's most pressing medical issues," said Humayun J. Chaudhry, DO, president and CEO of the FSMB.

"Anticipating these trends will help the FSMB provide boards with resources they need to address these challenges and continue their mission," Chaudhry said.

Each of the 51 medical boards was asked to choose five of the most important topics from a list of 16. The top five issues and the percentage of boards that chose them were:

• Resources related to opioid prescribing (74%)
   
• Telemedicine (74%)
   
• Physician stress and burnout (44%)
   
• Medical marijuana (42%)
   
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (38%)

The FSMB has model guidelines and policies for four of the regulatory topics that boards deemed most important:

• Opioid prescribing: Model Policy on the Use of Opioid Analgesics in the Treatment of Chronic Pain
   
• Telemedicine: “Model Policy for the Appropriate Use of Telemedicine Technologies in the Practice of Medicine”
   
• Medical marijuana: Model Guidelines for the Recommendation of Marijuana in Patient Care
   
• Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC): Model legislation (22 states are now members of the IMLC, with seven more states considering adopting legislation to join)
   
• Physician stress and burnout: In 2016, the FSMB formed the Workgroup on Physician Wellness and Burnout to identify, manage and prevent physician burnout and reduce the stigma associated with seeking help for burnout. A report is expected in April 2018.