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Interstate Compacts: What You Need to Know Now
Telehealth continues to revolutionize healthcare delivery, but its availability is not yet ubiquitous. Regulations that require healthcare and allied health providers to obtain separate licenses (each requiring investment of significant time, effort, and money) in each state in which they choose to provide services can be a barrier to patients receiving healthcare via telehealth from specialists and/or their established providers located in a different state. Interstate licensure compacts are offering a streamlined approach to state licensure for providers, enabling them to deliver care via telehealth to patients in those states that have adopted the respective compact.
Compact Websites
Numerous healthcare and allied health interstate compacts are available for states to join. Healthcare related compacts that have been adopted by states in the Southwest Telehealth Resource Center’s region are listed below.
Arizona
| Healthcare Related Compact Name |
Year Joined |
| Counseling Compact* |
2024 |
| Emergency Management Assistance Compact |
2000 |
| Interstate Medical Licensure Compact |
2016 |
| Nurse Licensure Compact |
2016 |
| Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact |
2022 |
| Physical Therapy Licensure Compact |
2016 |
| Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact |
2016 |
| Social Work Licensure Compact |
2024 |
* The Counseling Compact is not yet issuing practice privileges. It is expected to start in 2025 once the necessary systems are developed. Some states have enacted the compact, but it is not yet operational.
Colorado
| Healthcare Related Compact Name |
Year Joined |
| Audiology and Speech Language Pathology Interstate Compact |
2021 |
| Compact on Mental Health |
1965 |
| Counseling Compact* |
2022 |
| Dentist and Dental Hygienist Compact |
2024 |
| Emergency Management Assistance Compact |
2000 |
| Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Compact |
2015 |
| Interstate Compact for School Psychologists |
2024 |
| Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance |
1985 |
| Interstate Medical Licensure Compact |
2016 |
| Nurse Licensure Compact |
2018 |
| Occupational Therapy Licensure Compact |
2021 |
| PA Licensure Compact |
2024 |
| Physical Therapy Licensure Compact |
2017 |
| Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact |
2018 |
| Social Work Licensure Compact |
2024 |
* The Counseling Compact is not yet issuing practice privileges. It is expected to start in 2025 once the necessary systems are developed. Some states have enacted the compact, but it is not yet operational.
Nevada
| Healthcare Related Compact Name |
Year Joined |
| Emergency Management Assistance Compact |
2000 |
| Emergency Medical Services Personnel Licensure Compact |
2023 |
| Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance |
1987 |
| Interstate Medical Licensure Compact |
2015 |
| Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact |
2017 |
New Mexico
| Healthcare Related Compact Name |
Year Joined |
| Compact on Mental Health |
1969 |
| Emergency Management Assistance Compact |
1999 |
| Interstate Compact on Adoption and Medical Assistance |
1985 |
| Nurse Licensure Compact |
2018 |
Adoption of multiple healthcare related compacts by Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, and New Mexico illustrates each of these states’ efforts toward improving access to healthcare and allied health services for their residents and visitors. With increased adoption by states and continued support at both the national and state levels, interstate licensure compacts will play a key role in the future of healthcare delivery via telehealth. For the latest information on compact implementation and license issuance status, state participation maps, and other related requirements, please visit the respective compact websites listed above.
On July 16, 2024, during the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) National Telehealth Conference, HRSA announced a $2.5 million investment to support the launch of the Social Work Compact, an initiative under the Licensure Portability Grant Program. This investment marks a crucial step forward in reducing licensure barriers across state lines, allowing social workers to provide care more efficiently in multiple states. By supporting an interstate approach, the federal government is becoming more involved in a domain traditionally governed by state authorities. This move underscores the importance of interstate compacts in enhancing access to care, particularly for states that have large rural and underserved areas.
Resources
Center for Connected Health Policy – Licensure Compacts
Center for Connected Health Policy – The Cross-Stater Licensure Continuum: Out-of-State Telehealth Provider Policies
Center for Connected Health Policy – Out-of-State Telehealth Provider Policies
Center for Connected Health Policy – Cross-State Licensure & Compacts Webinar
Medicare Clarifies Recognition of Interstate License Compact Pathways
National Center for Interstate Compacts
Health Resources and Services Administration – Licensure Compacts |