The Medical Disciplinary Fund has been short on funds and staff members have been reassigned elsewhere in the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation. This has caused a backlog in medical license applications.
“ISMS urges quick passage of H.B. 1001,” said William Werner, MD, society president, in a release. “Without immediate action, Illinois stands to lose physician recruits and medical residents who are interested in training here.”
Without the restoration of money to the IDFP Medical Disciplinary Fund, medical students could be more likely to choose out-of-state residency placements and therefore negatively impact healthcare access in Illinois.
H.B. 1001 will:
• Transfer $9.6 million from the General Revenue Fund to the Medical Disciplinary Fund
• Increase license and renewal fees to $500, a 67 percent increase
• Extend the sunset date of the Medical Practice Act by 10 years. The Medical Practice Act specifies requirements for medical education and fitness for licensure, as well as other details regarding medical licensure, according to the Illinois State Medical Society.
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