PA joins health care compacts to expand provider access

• PA fully joins 3 interstate health care licensure compacts on July 7 

• License processing times dropped dramatically under Shapiro’s reforms 

• Initiative aims to ease workforce shortages and expand care access 

Starting July 7, Pennsylvania joins three health care compacts, easing licensing for doctors, nurses, and therapists to boost care access and reduce red tape. 

Governor Josh Shapiro and Secretary of the Commonwealth Al Schmidt announced Pennsylvania’s becoming a full participant in three health care compacts that provide further flexibility for qualified medical professionals to provide care to patients in dozens of states. According to a release, the compacts make it easier for qualified doctors, nurses, and physical therapists to provide care in multiple states. 

“Thanks to diligent, continuous hard work, the Department of State is leveling the playing field for doctors, nurses, and physical therapists in Pennsylvania,” Shapiro said in a statement. “We have listened to the calls from our nurses and our lawmakers to get full implementation of these health care compacts done, and I applaud everyone who worked tirelessly to make this happen for the health care professionals across our commonwealth.”

Health care compacts allow qualified, licensed professionals to streamline the application process to prove they meet all licensing requirements to provide care to patients in dozens of compact member states. Pennsylvania licenses more than 300,000 nurses, about 65,000 doctors, and more than 17,000 physical therapists. 

“Since Governor Shapiro took office, the Department of State has been laser focused on working with the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), the Pennsylvania State Police, and a bipartisan collection of Congressional allies to complete the steps necessary for Pennsylvania to fully participate in three General Assembly-approved multistate health care compacts,” said Schmidt. “Previous Administrations began the work to fully implement these compacts, but after years of waiting, the Shapiro Administration finally got it done.” 

The commonwealth’s journey to joining interstate health care compacts began in 2016, when the General Assembly passed legislation for Pennsylvania to participate in the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC) for physicians. The legislature approved Pennsylvania’s participation in additional health care compacts. 

“Patient safety has always been our top focus in this process,” said Schmidt. “The Department has a solemn responsibility to protect public health by thoroughly vetting all professional health care applicants to ensure the applicants meet the qualifications to work in their chosen field.” 

While working to secure final DOJ approval, the Shapiro Administration partially implemented the nurse compact in 2023 and the physician compact in 2024. 

These initiatives allowed nurses licensed in NLC member states to provide care for Pennsylvania patients and expedited the licensure process for physicians from IMLC member states so they could begin caring for Pennsylvania patients more quickly. These key steps are helping expand the health care workforce in the commonwealth. 

“The Shapiro Administration has been committed to reducing barriers to licensure for qualified professionals entering life-saving health care professions,” said Schmidt. “Making it easier for qualified out-of-state physicians and nurses to practice in the commonwealth helped ease severe health care worker shortages and increased health care access for patients across Pennsylvania.” 

Shapiro instituted a money-back guarantee, PAyback, to ensure greater certainty and accountability in the permitting, licensing, and certification processes. Processing times for key professional licenses have dropped significantly. Registered Nurse and Licensed Practical Nurse licenses have gone from 25 business days to 5, Physician/Surgeon licenses from 43 to 10 days, and Physical Therapist licenses from 31 to 3 days. 

“In the midst of historic and persistent workforce shortages, we need every tool available to attract the health care providers who will meet Pennsylvania’s growing need for care,” said Nicole Stallings, president and CEO of The Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania. “Full implementation of interstate licensure compacts helps bring providers to our communities and supports access to care.”