Provides relative to medical psychologists

House Bill 747 restructures the licensing framework for medical psychologists by consolidating the existing two-tiered system into a unified licensure model. Currently, Louisiana law requires medical psychologists to obtain a base license and then may pursue a separate certificate of advanced practice. This bill eliminates the certificate of advanced practice entirely and replaces it with a license for advanced practice of medical psychology that is issued as part of the standard licensing process under the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. The legislation amends multiple sections of R.S. 37 Chapter 13, Part VI to implement this change, authorizes the board to establish and collect licensing fees not to exceed three hundred twenty-five dollars for initial advanced practice licenses and three hundred dollars for renewal, and repeals R.S. 37:1360.61(G)(5), which previously required medical psychologists to report the names and credentials of psychological technicians or psychometericians under their supervision to the board.

The practical effect of this legislation is to streamline the credentialing process for medical psychologists seeking advanced practice status while removing the administrative requirement for supervision reporting of psychological support staff. Medical psychologists who already hold a base license and meet the advanced practice qualifications, including three years of experience, documented treatment of one hundred patients with various psychotropic medications, recommendations from two collaborating physicians and the Medical Psychology Advisory Committee, and completion of one hundred hours of continuing medical education, will now receive a license for advanced practice directly without pursuing a separate certification track. The repeal of the supervision reporting requirement eliminates an administrative burden for licensed medical psychologists regarding their oversight of psychological technicians and psychometericians. Additionally, the bill clarifies that medical psychologists licensed under this Part are exclusively regulated by the Medical Examiners Board, though individuals may choose to maintain dual licensure as both medical psychologists and psychologists licensed by the Louisiana Board of Examiners of Psychologists if they elect to do so.

The bill operates within the existing regulatory structure established in R.S. 37 Chapter 13, Part VI, which governs medical psychologist licensure and is administered by the Louisiana State Board of Medical Examiners. Medical psychologists holding a license for advanced practice remain subject to the standards of practice set forth in the amended statute, including the requirement that patients have an established primary care provider responsible for overall medical care and evaluation for medical conditions based on prescribed medications and risk factors. The legislation maintains the board's existing powers and duties regarding approval, denial, revocation, suspension, renewal, and reinstatement of licenses, as well as its authority to conduct disciplinary hearings and impose probationary conditions or fines for violations. The modification from certificate-based to license-based advanced practice represents an administrative consolidation that does not alter the substantive qualifications or regulatory oversight of advanced practice medical psychology in Louisiana.