united-states medical
Practicing medicine across state lines
<p><a href="https://medicalsciences.stackexchange.com/a/20265/805">An answer to a question</a> on MedicalSciences.SE prompts my question. Suppose I live in Wisconsin and I fly to Texas to undergo a procedure with a specialist there (I chose the states arbitrarily; I'm not asking about state-specific laws). </p>

<p>So I have my procedure and fly back home. This procedure requires medications and months of follow-up care, which means I'll be receiving instructions from the Texas doctor and his staff, refills on prescriptions, and so forth. These interactions are all via phone or email while I remain physically in the state of Wisconsin.</p>

<p>I'm fairly sure all these interactions would be considered "practicing medicine" under the law. However, the Texas doctor is not licensed to practice medicine in the state of Wisconsin; and yet, that's exactly what he's doing. </p>

<p>How does the law view this? Do state laws typically make a specific exception for an ongoing doctor/patient relationship or is this covered only by case law? If it's based on case law, a citation would be a nice addition to an answer. Bonus points for adding how it would work if the specialist was in Europe instead of Texas.</p>

<p>I think it really is a state-by-state answer. From a <a href="https://www.medicallicensedirect.com/telemed.html" rel="nofollow noreferrer">web site</a> for doctors getting involved in Telemedicine. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Some medical boards such as Alabama, Montana and Oregon offer a special purpose
  telemedicine license. Other states that regulate telepractice in medicine include Texas, Florida,
  California and Colorado. The levels of regulation vary greatly by state. For example, California
  and Florida, similar to New York, require full licensure to perform any function relating to patient
  care, with some exceptions for consultation in some instances. Other states are exploring the
  issue of telepractice and in general, how to regulate it.</p>
</blockquote>

<p>That site has a state-by-state break out of the rules.</p>

<p>I see <a href="https://www.aaaai.org/practice-resources/running-your-practice/practice-management-resources/Telemedicine/state" rel="nofollow noreferrer">other things</a> about reciprocity among some nearby states. </p>

<blockquote>
  <p>Three states (MD, NY, VA) and Washington DC provide reciprocity to bordering states. Alabama and Pennsylvania have agreements with other states to grant licenses to out-of-state physicians who have licenses in states that reciprocally accept their home state licenses. In Connecticut, an out-of-state physician can obtain an in-state license based on his or her home state standards.  </p>
</blockquote>
