Telehealth Licensing Across State Lines
Telehealth scaled across state lines requires licensure where the patient is — not where the clinician sits.
Federal flexibilities from the public-health emergency have largely expired. Today's rule: the clinician must be licensed in the state where the patient is physically located at the time of service.
Key terms
- IMLC
- Interstate Medical Licensure Compact — expedited MD/DO licensure across 40+ member states.
- Nurse Licensure Compact (NLC)
- Multistate RN/LPN license recognized across 41 NLC states.
- PSYPACT
- Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact — telepsychology across 40+ states.
- ASLP-IC
- Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Interstate Compact.
Step-by-step
- 1
Confirm primary state of licensure
Compacts require an unencumbered license in a 'home state' that's a compact member.
- 2
Apply through the compact portal
IMLC: ~$700 application fee + each state's license fee. Typical turnaround 7–14 days after letter of qualification.
- 3
Cover non-compact states individually
States outside the compact require standard reciprocity or full application.
- 4
Stack DEA registrations per practice address
Telehealth doesn't waive DEA per-address requirements for controlled-substance prescribing.
Frequently Asked Questions
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