Wednesday, April 27, 2005
Ah! New Jersey!!!
I have medical licenses in three states, New Jersey, North Carolina, and Pennsylvania. Every year I must renew my licenses. North Carolina and Pennsylvania send me a letter a few months in advance of the renewal date to remind me to go on line to renew. The renewal process is nearly identical for both of those state licenses: click to verify my demographics and answer a few dozen questions, enter credit card info and then I am done for the year.
For New Jersey I receive a pre-pre-application application in the mail which I must return in the mail. Months later I get the pre-application, asking more questions, which I return in the mail. A few days before the date of renewal, in years past, I would get the actual renewal application which was due back several weeks before it was mailed to me. I sent it back, every year, faithfully, with enclosed check. Like all other physicians in the state, I would actually have my renewed license months late. This, of course, wreaked havoc on all the institutions in which I practice, who require, by their bylaws, a prompt renewal of my license.
This year, after the pre-pre-application and the pre-application, today I received notice that this year we can renew ON LINE! The letter explaining this was difficult to understand, but I eventually figured it out.
Going to the website, I noticed that there was nowhere to click "online renewals" as instructed in the letter. I eventually found a renewal button to click. As soon as I did, there was a banner informing me that contrary to the letter's instructions, the website would not be available for another week.
Ah! Only in New Jersey!
For New Jersey I receive a pre-pre-application application in the mail which I must return in the mail. Months later I get the pre-application, asking more questions, which I return in the mail. A few days before the date of renewal, in years past, I would get the actual renewal application which was due back several weeks before it was mailed to me. I sent it back, every year, faithfully, with enclosed check. Like all other physicians in the state, I would actually have my renewed license months late. This, of course, wreaked havoc on all the institutions in which I practice, who require, by their bylaws, a prompt renewal of my license.
This year, after the pre-pre-application and the pre-application, today I received notice that this year we can renew ON LINE! The letter explaining this was difficult to understand, but I eventually figured it out.
Going to the website, I noticed that there was nowhere to click "online renewals" as instructed in the letter. I eventually found a renewal button to click. As soon as I did, there was a banner informing me that contrary to the letter's instructions, the website would not be available for another week.
Ah! Only in New Jersey!
