653—9.1(147,148) Definitions.
“ABMS” means the American Board of Medical Specialties, which is an umbrella organization for at least 24 medical specialty boards in the United States that assists the specialty boards in developing and implementing educational and professional standards to evaluate and certify physician specialists in the United States. The board recognizes specialty board certification by ABMS.
“ACGME” means the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education, an accreditation body that is responsible for accreditation of post-medical school training programs in medicine and surgery in the United States of America. The board approves resident training programs accredited by ACGME.
“Administrative medicine” means administration or management utilizing the medical and clinical knowledge, skill, and judgment of a licensed physician and capable of affecting the health and safety of the public or any person. A physician with an administrative medicine license may advise organizations, both public and private, on health care matters; authorize and deny financial payments for care; organize and direct research programs; review care provided for quality; and perform other similar duties that do not require direct patient care. “Administrative medicine” does not include the authority to practice clinical medicine; examine, care for or treat patients; prescribe medications, including controlled substances; or delegate medical acts or prescriptive authority to others.
“Administrative medicine license” means a license issued by the board pursuant to 653—9.20(147,148).
“AMA” means the American Medical Association, a professional organization of physicians and surgeons.
“Any jurisdiction” means any state, the District of Columbia or territory of the United States of America or any other nation.
“Any United States jurisdiction” means any state, the District of Columbia or territory of the United States of America.
“AOA” means the American Osteopathic Association, which is the representative organization for osteopathic physicians (D.O.s) in the United States. The board approves osteopathic medical education programs with AOA accreditation; the board approves AOA-accredited resident training programs in osteopathic medicine and surgery at hospitals for graduates of accredited osteopathic medical schools. The board recognizes specialty board certification by AOA. The board recognizes continuing medical education accredited by the Council on Continuing Medical Education of AOA.
“Applicant” means a person who seeks authorization to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or administrative medicine in this state by making application to the board, or a physician who seeks licensure through the IMLC.
“Approved abuse education training program” means a training program using a curriculum approved by the abuse education review panel of the department of public health or a training program offered by a hospital, a professional organization for physicians, or the department of human services, the department of education, an area education agency, a school district, the Iowa law enforcement academy, an Iowa college or university, or a similar state agency.
“Board” means Iowa board of medicine.
“Board-approved resident training program” means a hospital-affiliated graduate medical education program accredited by ACGME, AOA, RCPSC, or CFPC at the time the applicant is enrolled in the program.
“Candidate” means a person who applies to sit for an examination administered by the board or its designated testing service.
“Category 1 credit” means any formal education program which is sponsored or jointly sponsored by an organization accredited for continuing medical education by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, the Iowa Medical Society, or the Council on Continuing Medical Education of AOA that is of sufficient scope and depth of coverage of a subject area or theme to form an educational unit and is planned, administered and evaluated in terms of educational objectives that define a level of knowledge or a specific performance skill to be attained by the physician completing the program. Credits designated as formal cognates by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists or as prescribed credits by the American Academy of Family Physicians are accepted as equivalent to category 1 credits.
“CFPC” means the College of Family Physicians of Canada, an organization that accredits graduate medical education in family practice in Canada.
“COCA” means the Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation.
“COMLEX” means the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Licensing Examination that is recognized by the board as the licensure examination that replaced the NBOME examination for graduates of osteopathic medical schools or colleges.
“Committee” means the licensure committee of the board.
“COMVEX-USA” means the Comprehensive Osteopathic Medical Variable-Purpose Examination for the United States of America. The National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners prepares the examination and determines its passing score. A licensing authority in any jurisdiction administers the examination. COMVEX-USA is the current evaluative instrument offered to osteopathic physicians who need to demonstrate current osteopathic medical knowledge.
“Conviction” for the purposes of licensure through the IMLC means a finding by a court that an individual is guilty of a criminal offense through adjudication, or entry of a plea of guilt or no contest to the charge by the offender. Evidence of an entry of conviction of a criminal offense by the court shall be considered final for the purposes of disciplinary action by a member board of the IMLC.
“Core credentials” means those documents that demonstrate the applicant’s identity, medical training and practice history. “Core credentials” includes but is not limited to: medical school verification, medical school diploma, examination history, current ECFMG status report, fifth pathway certificate, and postgraduate training verification.
“Criminal offense” for the purposes of licensure through the IMLC means a felony, gross misdemeanor, or crime of moral turpitude.
“Current, active status” means a license that is in effect and grants the privilege of practicing administrative medicine, medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery, as applicable.
“ECFMG” means the Educational Commission for Foreign Medical Graduates, an organization that assesses the readiness of foreign medical school graduates to enter ACGME-approved graduate medical education programs in the United States.
“Expedited license” means a full and unrestricted medical license granted by a member state to an eligible physician through the process set forth in the IMLC.
“FCVS” means the Federation Credentials Verification Service, a service under the Federation of State Medical Boards that verifies and stores core credentials for retrieval whenever needed.
“FLEX” means the Federation Licensing Examination, a licensure examination used in the past that was approved by the board for graduates with a medical degree.
“Foreign medical school,” also known as an “international medical school,” means a medical school that is located outside of any United States jurisdiction or Canada.
“FSMB” means the Federation of State Medical Boards, the organization of medical boards of the United States of America.
“IMLC” means the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact enacted in Iowa Code chapter 147B.
“Inactive license” means any license that is not in current, active status. A physician whose license is inactive continues to hold the privilege of licensure in Iowa but may not practice under an inactive Iowa license until the inactive license is reinstated to active status.
“Incidentally called into this state in consultation with a physician and surgeon licensed in this state” as set forth in Iowa Code section 148.2(5) means all of the following shall be true:
	1.	The consulting physician shall be involved in the care of patients in Iowa only at the request of an Iowa-licensed physician.
	2.	The consulting physician has a license in good standing in another United States jurisdiction.
	3.	The consulting physician provides expertise and acts in an advisory capacity to an Iowa-licensed physician. The consulting physician may examine the patient and advise an Iowa-licensed physician as to the care that should be provided, but the consulting physician may not personally perform procedures, write orders, or prescribe for the patient.
	4.	The consulting physician practices in Iowa for a period not greater than 10 consecutive days and not more than 20 total days in any calendar year. Any portion of a day counts as one day.
	5.	The Iowa-licensed physician requesting the consultation retains the primary responsibility for the management of the patient’s care.
“Initial license” means the first permanent or administrative medicine license granted to a qualified individual.
“International medical school,” also known as a “foreign medical school,” means a medical school that is located outside of any United States jurisdiction or Canada.
“Interstate commission” means the interstate commission created pursuant to Iowa Code chapter 147B.
“LCME” means Liaison Committee on Medical Education, an organization that accredits educational institutions granting degrees in medicine and surgery. The board approves programs that are accredited by LCME.
“LMCC” means enrollment in the Canadian Medical Register as Licentiate of Medical Council of Canada with a certificate of registration as proof. LMCC requires passing both parts of the Medical Council of Canada Qualifying Examination.
“MCCEE” means the Medical Council of Canada Evaluating Examination, an examination administered in Canada to physicians who graduated from a medical school outside of the United States or Canada.
“Medical degree” means a degree of doctor of medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery or comparable education from a foreign medical school.
“National Practitioner Data Bank” is a national data bank of disciplinary actions taken against health professionals, including physicians.
“NBME” means the National Board of Medical Examiners, an organization that prepares and administers qualifying examinations, either independently or jointly with other organizations.
“NBOME” means the National Board of Osteopathic Medical Examiners, an organization that prepares and administers qualifying examinations for osteopathic physicians.
“Observer” means a person who is not enrolled in an LCME- or COCA-accredited medical school or osteopathic medical school, who observes care to patients in Iowa for a defined period of time and for a noncredit experience, and who is supervised and accompanied by an Iowa-licensed physician as defined in 9.2(3). An observer shall not provide or direct hands-on patient care, regardless of the observer’s level of training or supervision. The supervising physician may authorize an observer to read a chart, observe a patient interview or examination, or witness procedures, including surgery. An observer shall not chart; touch a patient as part of an examination; conduct an interview; order, prescribe or administer medications; make decisions that affect patient care; direct others in providing patient care; or conduct procedures, including surgery. Any of these activities requires licensure to practice in Iowa. An unlicensed physician observer or a medical student observer who is not enrolled in an LCME- or COCA-accredited medical school may touch a patient to verify a physical finding in the immediate presence of a physician but shall not conduct a more inclusive physical examination.
An unlicensed physician observer may:
	1.	Participate in discussions regarding the care of individual patients, including offering suggestions about diagnosis or treatment, provided the unlicensed physician observer does not direct the care; and
	2.	Elicit information from a patient provided the unlicensed physician observer does not actually perform a physical examination or otherwise touch the patient.
“Permanent licensure” means licensure granted after review of the application and core credentials to determine that the individual is qualified to enter into clinical practice. The individual may only practice when the license is in current, active status.
“Practice” means the practice of medicine and surgery or osteopathic medicine and surgery.
“Primary source verification” means:
	1.	Verification of the authenticity of documents with the original source that issued the document.
	2.	Original source verification by another jurisdiction’s physician licensing organization.
	3.	Original source verification by the FSMB’s Federation Credentials Verification Service.
“RCPSC” means the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, an organization that accredits graduate medical education in Canada.
“Reinstatement” means the process for returning an inactive license to current, active status.
“Relinquishment” means that a person’s permanent license to practice medicine and surgery, osteopathic medicine and surgery, or administrative medicine is deemed abandoned if the person fails to renew or reinstate the license within five years after its expiration. A license that has been relinquished is no longer valid or renewable. Relinquishment is not disciplinary in nature.
“Resident physician” means a physician enrolled in an internship, residency or fellowship.
“Resident training program” means a hospital-affiliated graduate medical education program that enrolls interns, residents or fellows and may be referred to as a postgraduate training program for purposes of licensure.
“Service charge” means the amount charged for making a service available on line and is in addition to the actual fee for a service itself. For example, one who renews a license on line will pay the license renewal fee and a service charge.
“SPEX” means Special Licensure Examination prepared by the Federation of State Medical Boards and administered by a licensing authority in any jurisdiction. The passing score on SPEX is 75.
“Terminated license” means a a nondisciplinary process by which an Iowa license issued through the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact is no longer eligible for renewal. A compact license is terminated when a licensee no longer meets the IMLC qualifications. A terminated IMLC license may not be reinstated.
“Training for chronic pain management” means required training on chronic pain management identified in 653—Chapter 11.
“Training for end-of-life care” means required training on end-of-life care identified in 653—Chapter 11.
“Training for identifying and reporting abuse” means training on identifying and reporting child abuse or dependent adult abuse required of physicians who regularly provide primary health care to children or adults, respectively, as specified in 653—Chapter 11. The full requirements on mandatory reporting of child abuse and the training requirements are found in Iowa Code section 232.69; the full requirements on mandatory reporting of dependent adult abuse and the training requirements are found in Iowa Code section 235B.16.
“Uniform application for physician state licensure” means a Web-based application that is intended to standardize and simplify the licensure application process for state medical licensure. The Federation of State Medical Boards created and maintains the application. This application is used for all license types issued by the Iowa board of medicine.
“USMLE” means the United States Medical Licensing Examination.
[ARC 8554B, IAB 3/10/10, effective 4/14/10; ARC 0215C, IAB 7/25/12, effective 8/29/12; ARC 2346C, IAB 1/6/16, effective 2/10/16; ARC 2524C, IAB 5/11/16, effective 6/15/16; ARC 3587C, IAB 1/17/18, effective 2/21/18]