ATA ACTION LEADS STAKEHOLDER LETTER CO-SIGNED BY NEARLY 50 ORGANIZATIONS URGING MICHIGAN LAWMAKERS TO RESTORE MEMBERSHIP IN THE INTERSTATE MEDICAL LICENSURE COMPACT (IMLC) AS THE MARCH 28 DEADLINE LOOMS
WASHINGTON, DC, MARCH 19, 2026 – Today, 49 stakeholder organizations are urging the Michigan Legislature to take immediate action to pass legislation allowing Michigan physicians to continue practicing medicine across state lines under the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC). The letter was led by the American Telemedicine Association (ATA) and ATA Action ATA Action, the affiliated policy and legislative advocacy arm of the ATA.
Licensure remains one of the most significant barriers facing telehealth providers, as most states require practitioners to hold a license in the state where the patient is located. Compacts like the IMLC offer a structured, state-driven path forward, providing eligible physicians a streamlined process to apply to practice in multiple states through the Compact. However, Michigan’s statutory language, unlike most IMLC statutes, included a sunset provision, which passed on March 28, 2025, beginning a 12-month withdrawal process – until March 28, 2026 – from the Compact. If Michigan does not pass the required legislation before that date (bills introduced in the House, MI HB 5455, and Senate, SB 303, both with bipartisan support), patients will suffer from care disruption and physicians will lose practice authority.
Read the full letter to Michigan lawmakers.
“As telehealth and multistate practice become increasingly important components of modern healthcare delivery, policies that support licensure portability are more important than ever,” said Hunter Young, ATA Action’s head of state government relations. “Maintaining Michigan’s membership in the IMLC will help ensure continuity of care, support healthcare workforce mobility, and protect patients’ access to needed services.
“The timing of this withdraw may also have serious financial repercussions for the state, as the Rural Health Transformation Program has put an emphasis on encouraging participation in compacts, including the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact,” Hunter added. “Ensuring that Michigan is an “IMLC Member State serving as a State of principal license” and should Michigan withdraw from the IMLC, it could result in the state losing ground when competing for millions of dollars in funding from the Rural Health Transformation Program.”
Michigan and the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact (IMLC)
While licenses are still issued individually by each state, the IMLC streamlines the process, allowing physicians to obtain practice authority in multiple states quicker and with fewer administrative burdens. Since Michigan joined the IMLC in 2019, thousands of out-of-state physicians have obtained Michigan licensure while physicians located in Michigan have used the IMLC to help provide care to patients outside the state.
According to data from the IMLC, more than 5,000 physicians – one-third of Michigan’s physician workforce – would lose their compact-based authority to practice if lawmakers don’t act quickly to pass legislation to rejoin the compact.
About ATA Action
Founded in 2022, ATA Action is the leading advocacy organization dedicated to advancing policy and accelerating the adoption of technology-enabled healthcare. Working collaboratively with federal and state legislators and policymakers, ATA Action drives industry momentum by influencing legislative and regulatory developments in telehealth, virtual care, remote patient monitoring, artificial intelligence in health, health data privacy, private sector healthcare investment, and more. Representing a diverse membership – including hospital systems, technology companies, professional associations, direct-to-consumer digital health providers, payers, pharmaceutical manufacturers, digital therapeutics developers, and remote monitoring organizations – ATA Action facilitates member-led coalitions focused on initiatives such as Advancing Digital Health and Prescription Drug Use-Related Software (PDURS), Virtual Foodcare, and Cross State Care.
ATA Action is a registered 501(c)(6) nonprofit trade organization engaged in lobbying efforts to shape industry-related legislation and serves as an affiliated trade association of the American Telemedicine Association (ATA). The ATA, a 501(c)(3) entity, is recognized for its leadership in advancing innovation and leading transformation in virtual care, digital health, hybrid care, artificial intelligence, and next generation connected care.
