U.S. Healthcare Licensing and Regulatory Organizations Issue Joint Statement on COVID-19 Pandemic

As the leading national organizations representing state and territorial health regulatory boards in the United States that regulate the practice of medicine, nursing, pharmacy, physical therapy, psychology, occupational therapy, and social work, we wish to express support for the many efforts being undertaken by our member boards and staff to enable health care providers and other professionals to deliver needed care during this COVID-19 pandemic.

We and our member boards are coordinating with county, state, and federal agencies as well as other partner organizations representing the professions to help ensure a full complement of the healthcare workforce can be deployed as necessary in states and territories that declare a public emergency. We are also making efforts to expand access, wherever possible, to information about a healthcare professional’s education, training, credentials, qualifications, licensure and disciplinary history, so that hospitals and other entities can access and deploy qualified healthcare professionals where they are needed and when they are available.

As regulators, we share a common duty during this public health crisis to do what we can to ensure access to care across the country to those in need. While our healthcare professionals focus on providing the care that the public needs to manage and control the further spread of COVID-19, including through the appropriate use of telemedicine and telehealth technologies, we are working with our member boards to review existing and developing rules and regulations to facilitate the delivery of safe and effective care.

Our member boards and their staff, like those individuals working at our organizations, are heeding CDC guidance and transitioning to work remotely from home as quickly as possible while ensuring that needed information and services to protect the public remain current and accessible.

We remain committed to public health, public protection and patient safety and will continue to explore ways to support qualified healthcare professionals as they respond to this evolving national emergency.

Federation of State Medical Boards (FSMB)
National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN)
National Association of Boards of Pharmacy (NABP)
Federation of State Boards of Physical Therapy (FSBPT)
Association of State and Provincial Psychology Boards (ASPPB)
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NCBOT)
Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB)