Modernizing Licensure Through Targeted Federal Solutions to Break Down Interstate Barriers to Care
The ATA Action Cross-State Care Coalition, in collaboration with Johns Hopkins Medicine, brings together health systems, provider organizations, innovators, and digital health leaders to advance practical, bipartisan federal solutions that enable patient access and continuity of care. The Coalition focuses on targeted, clearly-defined federal pathways that maintain state authority while addressing specific gaps arising from an increasingly virtual, national healthcare landscape.
Co-chaired by ATA Action and Johns Hopkins Medicine, the Coalition is dedicated to modernizing licensure through focused federal measures in high-impact clinical and care delivery areas, including:
- Virtual specialty care for cancer and rare and complex conditions
- Transplant recipients
- Palliative care and mental health services
- Care delivered through clinical trials
- Follow-up care with an established provider
Our Goal: State-by-state licensure can create unnecessary friction for patients and providers. The goal is carefully scoped federal solutions that safeguard patients, empower clinicians, and build a more connected and responsive healthcare system suited for today’s needs.
Join the Cross-State Care Coalition to:
- Protect continuity of care by allowing limited, clinically appropriate cross-state telehealth for established patient-provider relationships.
- Enable timely access to expertise, including second opinions and rare or complex subspecialty care, where state-by-state licensure creates unnecessary barriers.
- Support innovation and research through narrowly tailored federal pathways for virtual specialty care federally regulated clinical trials.
- Preserve patient safety and accountability by maintaining state oversight and jurisdiction while removing duplicative requirements that do not enhance quality.
- Advance nationwide coordination by aligning targeted federal action with state authority to deliver more seamless, connected care.
The ATA and ATA Action Policy Principles On Breaking Down Interstate Barriers to Care
These policy principles identify where targeted federal action can complement state authority to remove barriers and ensure timely, accountable, and safe care across state lines. By establishing clearer, more consistent cross-state frameworks, they also advance interoperability and care coordination nationwide. For purposes of these principles, healthcare providers should be required to hold an active license in good standing in at least one U.S. state or territory, ensuring both professional accountability and practical access for patients.
These principles intend to eliminate overly restrictive rules that hinder innovation, access, and telehealth’s proven ability to improve patient outcomes:
- Protect continuity of care
- Enable timely access to expertise
- Expand access to rare and complex subspecialty care
- Support innovation and research
- Advance nationwide coordination
- Preserve patient safety and accountability
Read the full Policy Principles On Breaking Down Interstate Barriers to Care
Join the movement to advance targeted federal solutions that modernize licensure, so patients don’t lose vital access to care because of a state line.
Contact Alexis Apple, ATA Action Deputy Executive Director: aapple@ataaction.org
Learn More: Licensure Innovation for Telehealth Transformation
In addition to the separate advocacy and lobbying efforts of the Cross-State Care Coalition, Johns Hopkins, in collaboration with the ATA, is leading the LIFTT (Licensure Innovation for Telehealth Transformation) Initiative. This initiative seeks to raise awareness among the public and policymakers about the critical need for federal reforms to enhance telehealth access across the country. Over the next three years, LIFTT will focus on education and communication, ensuring policymakers, health systems, and the public understand the challenges of interstate care and the ways we can make positive change.
Visit the Johns Hopkins Medicine LIFT website for more information.