In Case You Haven't Heard…

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), through the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), announced July 16 the first-ever Licensure Portability Grant Program investment in a multi-state social worker licensure compact. State licensure compacts allow states to come together on a common approach to licensing health care providers, allowing providers to practice across state lines without having to apply for a license in each state. Streamlining licensure while maintaining quality standards improves access to services both by better facilitating hiring and by easing pathways to utilizing telehealth. The announcement was made at HRSA's National Telehealth Conference, the largest federal conference on telehealth issues. HRSA's new $2.5 million investment in licensure compacts will support the work to launch a social worker compact as well as HRSA's ongoing support for building and sustaining primary care, psychology and podiatry compacts. HRSA identified behavioral health as a priority in its state licensure compact work. Since HRSA began investing in licensure compacts, the Interstate Medical Licensing Compact and the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact (PSYPACT) have each grown to include 40 states, Washington, D.C., and one territory.