State medical board in the U.S. serve to protect the public and ensure the only people practicing medicine are fit and qualified to do so.
Highlighted below are six ways state boards continue to ensure physician professionalism and competency, retain relevancy, adapt to changing circumstances, preserve the public's trust and earn the respect of healthcare providers, as outlined by three physicians with the Federation of State Medical Boards in a viewpoint published in JAMA.
1. Physician engagement. Physicians not only serve on state boards, they often testify in favor of or against proposals state boards make to change their Medical Practice Act.
2. Public participation. Currently, nearly all state medical boards include members of the public. Additionally, medical boards frequently invite the public to meetings or to add their input on various matters.
3. Communication. As required by state law, medical boards communicate their decisions and announce planned meetings through electronic and print newsletters or online to allow physicians, the public and other stakeholders to attend.
4. Transparency. As of 2011, every state in the union has made practice profiles of its licensed physicians publicly available.
5. Innovation. Medical boards have increasingly demonstrated their openness to innovation and change. For instance, it's not uncommon for proposals made and passed in one state to be signed into law by others.
6. Collaboration. In recent years, state medical boards have worked more closely with similar organizations that oversee and license nurses, pharmacists and other healthcare practitioners to address issues of mutual interest, such as the prescription opioid epidemic