Sunset Colorado Medical Board

Plain English Breakdown

Checked against official source text during the last sync.

HB26-1307: Extends the Colorado Medical Board and Updates License Rules

This law extends the life of the Colorado Medical Board until September 1, 2035, creates a new administrative license for doctors who teach without treating patients, exempts natural medicine facilitators from needing a medical practice license within their scope, and changes renewal rules for foreign teaching physicians.

What This Bill Does

• Continues the functions of the Colorado Medical Board for nine years until September 1, 2035.
• Exempts individuals with a natural medicine facilitator license from needing a medical practice license when providing services within their scope.
• Changes the renewal period for distinguished foreign teaching physicians and temporary distinguished foreign teaching physicians to a period determined by the board, as long as they serve on academic staff.
• Allows the president of the Medical Board to vote as a full member during licensing panel meetings.
• Authorizes the board to issue an administrative license starting January 1, 2027, for doctors who teach or manage medical students without direct patient care.

Who It Names or Affects

• The Colorado Medical Board and its members
• Physicians holding distinguished foreign teaching licenses or temporary distinguished foreign teaching licenses
• Individuals licensed as natural medicine facilitators
• Doctors who teach, mentor, or perform administrative duties for medical students without treating patients

Terms To Know

Sunset law

A rule that requires government agencies to stop existing on a specific date unless the legislature votes to extend them.

Administrative license

A special medical license for doctors who teach or manage programs but do not treat patients, prescribe medication, or require continuing education credits.

Limits and Unknowns

• The bill does not specify the exact length of the renewal period for foreign teaching physicians, only that the board will decide it.
• The list of activities covered by an administrative license includes examples like curriculum management and research design but may not cover every possible activity.

Official Summary Text

The act:
Continues the functions of the Colorado medical board (board) for 9 years until September 1, 2035, pursuant to the provisions of the sunset law;
Exempts from the practice of medicine for which a license is required an individual who is facilitating natural medicine services within the scope of a natural medicine facilitator license;
Changes the license renewal period for a distinguished foreign teaching physician and for a temporary distinguished foreign teaching physician from annual renewal to a renewal period determined by the board, so long as the physician is still serving on the academic staff of a medical school;
Authorizes the president of the board to serve as a full member of the board's licensing panel for licensing panel meetings; and
Authorizes the board, on and after January 1, 2027, to issue an administrative license to a physician who engages in the teaching or instruction of a medical student, resident, or fellow that does not involve direct patient care, including teaching or instruction activities such as curriculum management; mentorship; participation in team-based discussions; evaluation of diagnostic decision-making, clinical reasoning, or patient prioritization; providing feedback; or providing certain services that are purely administrative in nature, such as research design and analysis and other roles that require a medical license, but that do not involve treating patients or prescribing medication. A physician with an administrative license is required to have medical liability insurance and is exempted from continuing medical education requirements.
(Note: This summary applies to this bill as enacted.)