The Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure is holding a hearing today on SB.103 filed by Senator Joe Boncore (D-Winthrop) that would authorize Massachusetts to join 31 other states that have adopted the national Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC).
The NLC allows a nurse to have one license in his or her state of residency and to practice in other states, subject to the nurse practice laws and regulations of each state. There are 14,000 nurses currently residing in Massachusetts who hold a license in another state; joining the Nurse Licensure Compact would relieve them of the maintenance of multiple, costly licenses in each state in which they practice.
Allowing for cross-state care is important since Massachusetts’ renowned hospitals attract patients from across the country. When a patient has completed the necessary care at the bedside, they enter into a complex system of follow-up and remote care that is staffed largely by nurses. To continue this care as patients return home to other states, nurses must hold multiple licenses.
Also, telehealth allows nurses to assist patients after they leave the hospital; these follow-up virtual visits contribute to the prevention of unnecessary readmissions. As telehealth adoption increases, the number of nurses who will be required to hold multiple licenses will also increase because nurses must hold licenses in the state where their patient resides.