The National Practitioner Data Bank (NPDB) was created to help hospitals vet physicians and keep problem physicians from traveling from hospital to hospital. Hospitals are required to check the NPDB when they add a new physician to the medical staff.

Four years ago, the Interstate Medical Licensure Compact officially launched its expedited licensure process. However, the initial discussion about developing a streamlined licensing process stems back even further. The compact, which was initially developed by the Federation of State Medical...