By EMERSON WIGAND
Capital News Service
LANSING — Joining an interstate compact that allows out-of-state psychologists to practice in Michigan could provide more mental health care for state residents.
But regulators say the action could undermine state authority and reduce its budget for investigating complaints.
Michigan residents seeking a psychologist can be daunted by long waits, said Rep. Felicia Brabec, D-Pittsfield Township.
Joining the Psychology Interjurisdictional Compact, or PSYPACT, could lower barriers to care, said Brabec, a clinical psychologist for more than 25 years.
“I literally will have psychologists call me out of the blue and ask me why it’s not done yet,” Brabec said. “One of the main reasons is because of that accessibility piece.”
The compact allows psychologists to practice across member states without state specific licensing. Twenty-seven states have joined PSYPACT, with three still implementing the legislation.
Brabec and Rep. Bronna Kahle, R-Adrian, have sponsored legislation to join the group.
Similar legislation passed the House and Senate previously, only to be vetoed by Gov. Gretchen Whitmer.
Brabec said this was due to its connection with a more controversial bill.
But the Department of Licensing and Regulatory Affairs still opposes it. Derek Sova, a policy and legislative specialist with the department, recently testified against it at a hearing of the House Committee on Health Policy.
“We fully support efforts to increase the number of qualified health providers available to Michigan residents,” Sova said. However, the departmentopposes all compacts as they reduce state sovereignty.
This is particularly important when considering continuing education credits for state licensing, he said.
The course requirements are set by states. For example, Michigan licensing requires pain management and human trafficking education for all those practicing psychology.
“Some states may have those requirements too,” Sova said. “But it’s entirely possible that not all of those other states do.”
Requirements can vary, said Janet Orwig, PSYPACT’s executive director. But they are fairly comparable, and additional education is required for PSYPACT approval.
Another concern for the licensing department is the loss of resources and authority for regulation, Sova said.
“Under the compact, an unelected commission could adopt rules that would potentially undermine those laws and rules passed by Michigan’s elected leaders,” he said.
The department investigates complaints with funding from license fees, which psychologists licensed out-of-state don’t contribute to, Sova said. So, the number of people who can face complaints has increased without a corresponding increase in license fees.
Additionally, the department will not have the licensing information for those licensed out of state, Sova said. This means a dependency on PSYPACT in regulation.
But Orwig said PSYPACT creates more state authority as a state can issue a cease and desist or injunction orders on psychologists from other states.
Regulatory costs could increase, Orwig said, but it likely wouldn’t be by much.
“It’s important to note that psychology really doesn’t have a large amount of complaints,” Orwig said.
The state licensing board retains influence over the regulation because it chooses Michigan’s representative on the compact’s commission, Orwig said..
While these regulatory issues are important to consider, more than 25 states have made it work, and Michigan can too, Kahle said.
PSYPACT is endorsed by the American Board of Professional Psychology, the American Psychological Association, the American Telemedicine Association and the Citizen Advocacy Center.