Utah 1st State to Adopt the Pennsylvania State Licensing Agreement

Utah became the first state to legislate the Physician Assistant Licensing Agreement.

Governor Spencer Cox signed the bill March 14. The Pennsylvania Licensing Agreement is an interstate agreement that will allow Physician Assistants to obtain their licenses to practice recognized by other Member States and facilitate the transfer of their professional capabilities.

According to the initiative’s website, the agreement “reduces the time and cost of participating protected areas in multi-state practices” and “by establishing a data system, it will also enhance public protection by facilitating the exchange of licensing and disciplinary information between treaty member states.” .”

According to the American Academy of Medical Associations, seven states must also enact the Pennsylvania Licensing Agreement with exactly the same wording through legislation in order for it to become active. While Utah is the only state to have adopted it, several others have filed laws with the intention of doing so, including Texas, Minnesota, Ohio, and Rhode Island.

The PA Licensing Agreement is also intended to facilitate the transfer of spouses of military personnel who move between Member States to continue practicing without downtime to re-license in a new location, and to facilitate the practice of telemedicine.