The bill updates the licensing requirements for medical professionals in Colorado, specifically regarding the application and renewal process. The key provisions are:
Application Questions:
The questions on the license application and renewal questionnaire will reflect Federation of State Medical Boards' recommendations and the requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1990.
The application and renewal process will not require disclosure of irrelevant personal health information that is unrelated to an applicant's ability to provide safe, competent, and ethical patient care.
The application will also exclude questions about past health-related conditions that do not affect the ability to practice safely and competently at the time of application.
Disclosure Clarification:
An individual applying for a medical license or renewal is not required to disclose any physical illness, mental health, substance use disorder, or other condition that no longer impacts their ability to practice safely and competently.
Notice Requirement: Healthcare professionals who have a current condition (physical illness, behavioral health disorder, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder) that affects their ability to practice with reasonable skill and safety must notify the regulating authority. This notice must be given only for current conditions that impair practice.
These updates are intended to reduce unnecessary disclosure of irrelevant health conditions while ensuring that healthcare professionals maintain safe and competent care standards for their patients.
Summary
The bill requires the following regarding the application for a
license to practice medicine in Colorado (application) and the questionnaire accompanying the form for a license renewal (questionnaire):
•
The application questions reflect the recommendations of the Federation of State Medical Boards and the requirements of the federal Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990;
•
The application and questionnaire do not require the disclosure of personal medical or health information that is not relevant to the applicant's ability at the time of application to provide safe, competent, and ethical patient care; and
•
The application and questionnaire do not include questions seeking information about past health-related conditions that do not impact an applicant's ability to practice safe, competent, and ethical patient care at the time of application.
The bill clarifies that an individual subject to the licensing
requirements of the Colorado Medical Practice Act is not required to disclose a physical illness, physical condition, behavioral health disorder, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder that no longer impacts the individual's ability to practice the applicable health-care profession or occupation with reasonable skill and safety to patients or clients.
Current law requires that if a health-care professional has a
physical illness, physical condition, or behavioral or mental health disorder that renders the person unable to practice the applicable health-care profession or occupation with reasonable skill and safety to patients or clients, the licensee, registrant, or certificate holder shall notify the regulator that regulates the person's profession or occupation of the physical illness, physical condition, or behavioral or mental health disorder. The bill requires that a health-care professional must additionally provide notice of a substance use disorder and specifies that the health-care professional is required only to provide notice of a current physical illness, physical condition, behavioral health disorder, mental health disorder, or substance use disorder.
