Saud Anwar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Joe O’Leary | Joe.OLeary@cga.ct.gov | 508-479-4969

March 17, 2026

PUBLIC HEALTH COMMITTEE CHAIRS CHEER CONNECTICUT PHYSICIAN ACCESS TO INTERSTATE MEDICAL LICENSURE COMPACT

Connecticut public health leaders on Monday cheered Connecticut physicians’ access to and ability to apply to the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact, a platform offering voluntary and expedited pathways to licensing for qualified physicians. With the move, the state joins more than 40 others in offering access to speedy licensing for physicians to practice in multiple states.

It comes after Connecticut adopted the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact in 2022.

“There’s a shortage of physicians in the state of Connecticut. We are hoping this compact will allow us to increase access to care,” said State Senator Saud Anwar (D-South Windsor), Senate Chair of the Public Health Committee. “The gradual shortage of physicians, especially in specialty fields and specialist practices, has been a major problem, causing significant waiting time for patients. This implementation will help us reach a better place.”

“Joining the IMLC improves oversight and makes sure Connecticut has better connections with other states as part of a larger effort to enhance the field of physicians in our state,” said State Representative Cristin McCarthy Vahey (D-Fairfield), House Chair of the Public Health Committee. “This is an important step forward that makes sure Connecticut is up to date with national standards and can continue responding to changes in the field.”

Under the shift, qualified physicians can now register to receive licensure to practice medicine in multiple states, key to relieve care shortages and cut down on red tape preventing expanded delivery of care. Maine and New Hampshire are already members of the compact, with Connecticut joining Rhode Island and Vermont as states in the process of adopting it.

When a physician gets a license to practice, in most states, they apply through the IMLC, which screens them and notifies the Department of Public Health to produce a letter of qualifications. After a background check, that letter is the key to expedited licensing in other states; the physician pays the IMLC to manage renewals instead of paying separate states for their licensure.

While this is a benefit for physicians’ ease of access and licensing, it’s also beneficial for oversight in the medical field. If a physician’s license is revoked, surrendered, relinquished or suspended, all of their licenses will be placed in the same status.