Fingerprinting doctors: Arizona medical rules.

• Author: Tuccille, J.D.
• Position: Citings - Brief article

IN APRIL, Arizona lawmakers passed a law requiring physicians renewing or applying for medical licenses to submit fingerprints for mandatory criminal background checks. The requirement isn't just a burden for applicants. It has also tripped up the Arizona Medical Board, which already had a backlog of license applications. The board responded in September to the extra workload by freezing all applications for new licenses.

An official statement assured physicians that "the Board, in conjunction with the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Federal Bureau of Investigations, is working to resolve the matter as quickly as possible."

More importantly, to avoid paralyzing medical care, the Board allowed physicians already working in Arizona to continue practicing on expired licenses "provided that the renewal application was filed timely."

Even before the freeze, Arizona was dogged by a physician shortage...