Licensure versus certification

State medical licensing boards have generally been charged with the regulation of the practice of medicine within their jurisdiction. State legislatures adopt a code usually in the form of a medical practice act and provide the state government with an agency that is charged with the responsibility to enforce that portion of the law. It seems that during the past several years, this has become an increasingly more complex task. Technologic advances, new ethical issues, and a higher demand for accountability have, along with other factors, led licensing boards to become more proactive than they have been in the past. The result has been an increased number physicians who have had their licenses modified, restricted, suspended, or withdrawn.

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