After facing a statewide doctor shortage for years, the Texas Medical Board said Monday it issued a record number of medical licenses this past fiscal year.

The 3,621 doctors licensed in fiscal 2008 beat last year's record-setting 3,324.
The number of licenses issued in the state has jumped almost 44 percent in two years, according to the medical board.
The board had grappled with a surge in applications that created a backlog of more than 2,000 applicants seeking a medical license to practice here.

But the board said it changed its rules to speed up the process and got state funding to hire six extra workers.
"We are issuing more licenses than ever, more quickly than ever, and we have eliminated the backlog of applications awaiting processing – all without compromising the quality of physicians licensed in Texas," Dr. Roberta Kalafut, board president, said in a news release. "We have applicants coming to Texas from all over the country and all over the world."

There's debate on what ignited the surge in applications.

Malpractice law
In a report to be released today, the Texas Medical Association makes the case that the surge can be attributed to the medical malpractice lawsuit limits passed by the Legislature in 2003.

The Texas Alliance for Patient Access, a nonprofit coalition of health care workers, found that 21 rural Texas counties have added at least one obstetrician – including 12 counties that previously had none – since passage of the law.

Director's reaction
Jaime Garanflo, director of licensure for the medical board, said she is unsure what caused the jump, but she said she is skeptical of claims that the law was responsible.

As recently as April 2007, more than 1,000 doctors were waiting for Texas licenses, she said.
Out-of-state applicants

License processing can be complex. When dealing with out-of-state applicants, the medical board must determine whether the physician's education and training are equal to the medical education and training provided in Texas.

Last year, the board dealt with physicians trained in 45 states and 83 foreign countries. Almost 30 percent of the physicians licensed in Texas last year, or 1,032, received their medical educations at foreign schools.

Last year, the Legislature appropriated $1.22 million for six additional employees in the licensing division, as well as other improvements.

The board also streamlined the documentation that applicants have to submit; eliminated a requirement for applicants to appear in front of the licensing board, reducing scheduling conflicts; and stopped inspecting documents from transfer schools unless there was a reason to question them.