Alaska Physician Licensing Process (MD/DO)

Other Critical Steps

DEA Clearance Report

You are required to request a clearance report from the Drug Enforcement Administration for your DEA registration. Use the form included in the Application and send your request to:

Drug Enforcement Administration
300 5th Avenue, Suite 1300
Seattle, WA 98104

DEA Registration

You will need an Alaska address on your DEA license confirmed before you can work your first assignment. This is not a prerequisite for your license to be granted, but you will need to register your DEA license in Alaska prior to starting work in the state in order to prescribe legally.

There are two ways to ensure you have a DEA license registered in the state you will work in. Some providers decide to purchase an additional DEA license to devote to locums work, but most choose to simply transfer their existing DEA license to Alaska immediately prior to their assignment starting. Whichever path you choose, you can apply for a new license or make changes to your existing DEA registration at the DEA website.

Keep in mind if you choose to transfer your existing DEA license to a new state, the process can take up to 5 business days so you must account for that transition time.

Opioid Education Requirement

All providers with a DEA registration must have received education in pain management and opioid use and addiction for their PA license. Attestation of opioid education is required to qualify for a new license for a physician, podiatrist or physician assistant. Courses must be Category 1 of AMA-approved education, Category 1 or 2 of AOA-approved education, or for a PA-C it can be NCCPA-approved education.

To fully document compliance with the opioid education requirement, the title/description of the program on your Certificate of Completion should specifically reference all three areas of the required subject matter: pain management, opioid use, addiction.

Prescription Drug Monitoring Program (PDMP)

Any provider with prescriptive authority is required to register with the PDMP in Alaska. This can be done online for free on the PDMP website.

We recommend reading this guide to help you get started with the process of registering with the PDMP.

Business Licenses

Even though a business license is not required to practice medicine in Alaska, it is required to do business as a locum tenens independent contractor. For that reason, you will be required to obtain a business license before signing a contract for your first WMS Assignment.

Most providers choose to set up a simple Assumed Business Name (sole proprietorship) for their contract work, but some create LLCs or register existing LLCs in Alaska as foreign entities. We suggest you discuss this decision with a Certified Public Accountant if you have questions about tax implications for business type.

Registering an Assumed Business Name (Sole Proprietorship)

• To setup a sole proprietorship, visit this website
  • Your primary line of business should be “62-Health Care and Social Assistance”
  • Your NAICS code should be 621999.

Registering an LLC or other Corporation

The first step to registering an LLC is choosing a registered agent. A registered agent is a person or a company that’s willing to receive legal paperwork on behalf of your company. Official paperwork could include tax forms, court documents, or paperwork that’s served during a lawsuit. The registered agent will also remind you of biannual reports which are due every two years. You can easily google a registered agent in Alaska, or use this partial list the Alaska Board of Medicine includes on their website.

WMS and many of our providers use the law firm Baxter Bruce & Sullivan as our registered agent. If you choose to use them, here are the steps, in order, to register your LLC in Alaska:

1. Get a Registered Agent
   1. Call Stefanie Wolter at Baxter Bruce & Sullivan (907-789-3166). Let her know you’d like to register your LLC in Alaska and you’ll be using them as your registered agent.
   2. She will have you sign an engagement letter and pay their fee ($265 + tax). This is an annual fee. She’ll need to know the name of your LLC and who the members are. The engagement letter will be sent to the manager of the LLC. She will also run a conflict check to make sure it’s okay to work with the manager.
   3. Once these steps are completed, she will give your their entity number which you’ll need during the LLC’s application process (step 2).
2. Register Your LLC in Alaska
   1. Click here to register your LLC online.
   2. NAICS code: 621999
   3. If you have any questions during the application process, we recommend consulting an accountant or attorney to ensure its filed correctly.
3. Register For an Alaska Business License
   1. Once you’ve registered your LLC in step 2, you’ll be given an entity number. You can then register for a new Alaska business license here.
   2. Owner Type: Entity
   3. Entity #: the number given to you by Baxter Bruce & Sullivan
   4. Line of Business: 62 – Health Care and Social Assistance
   5. NAICS code: 621999

If you have an existing LLC that you would like to register in Alaska, you will create a new “Foreign” Entity by following this link. A Foreign Entity is any corporation that was founded outside the state of Alaska, but within the USA. You will still need a Registered Agent and the same NAICS code information as listed above if you register a foreign LLC.