On October 11, 2019, the Massachusetts Board of Registration in Medicine (BORIM) announced a new requirement for initial physician licensure in the state. Effective January 1, 2020, all first-time applicants in Massachusetts will be required to also complete an application through the Federation Credentials Verification Service (FCVS). FRVS’s website indicates it is “a Lifetime Repository of Verified Core Credentials … that can be used for multiple state medical boards.” The new BORIM requirement will require first-time applicants to apply for a verified profile with FCVS that designates BORIM as the recipient of a “Medical Professional Information Profile.” Applicants still will have to apply through BORIM for licensure, but certain credentials will now be verified through the FCVS profile.
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Physician Licensure
11th Circuit Invalidates Key Provisions in Florida Law Prohibiting Physician Inquiries About Patient Firearm Ownership
In Wollschlaeger v. Florida, No. 12-14009 (Feb. 16, 2017), the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit invalidated provisions of the Florida Firearms Owners’ Privacy Act that prohibited physicians from (i) asking patients if they (or their family members) own firearms or ammunition, (ii) documenting firearm ownership in patient medical records, and (iii) harassing patients about firearm ownership during examinations. The appellate court did not invalidate the Act’s antidiscrimination provision that prohibits physicians from discriminating against patients based solely on firearm ownership. Physicians who violated the Act were subject to disciplinary action by the Florida Board of Medicine, which promulgated regulations in 2014 and 2016 setting forth mandatory penalties for violations.
Continue Reading 11th Circuit Invalidates Key Provisions in Florida Law Prohibiting Physician Inquiries About Patient Firearm Ownership