With an overview out of the way, not we can get in to the nitty-gritty.
Let’s start with physician licensing.
Doctors must be licensed in the state in which they intend
to practice. In many states the medical licensing is provided by the State
Board of Medical Examiners. As with your driver’s license, a physicians license
must be renewed and is subject to
suspension or revocation. The renewal time varies by state.
Medical license renewal often requires forms attesting to
the fact the physician is able to practice medicine some license renewals may
require proof of continuing medical education. Continuing medical education is
known as CMEs, these are credits or points given for a physician attending
classes and seminars to keep up to date with the latest advances in medicine.
Besides some license boards, hospitals will often require proof of CME to
maintain hospital privileges, which means that they are allowed to treat
patients in the hospital.
Additional licenses or registrations are also required in a
medical practice. For example, the DEA, referring to the Drug Enforcement
Agency, allows a physician to prescribe.
Some states have additional requirements for doctor’s who write
prescriptions such as the CDS (referring to Controlled Dangerous Substances) in
New Jersey, the DPS (referring to the Department of Public Safety) in Texas,
and the CTP (Certificate to Prescribe) in Ohio. Also many states require some
type of business license or business registration to operate a physician’s
office in that state. All licenses and registrations vary by state and should
be investigated.
Early on you may question what this has to do with the promised
information on medical billing. Soon you will see this connect to billing in
the wonderful world of credentialing. So bear with me while I lay the
foundation.
