The governor's requested performance audit of the state health care licensing and disciplinary system is complete. In its assessment of the Health Professions' Quality Assurance (HPQA) Office of the Department of Health, the auditors found that each year, fewer than 5 percent of credentialed health professionals face disciplinary action, yet some 85 percent of HPQA’s $23 million budget is spent on discipline-related actions. Among the recommendations are giving the department the statutory authority to access Washington State Patrol and FBI information for background checks,introducing negotiated statutory performance-based provisions for boards and commissions, and eliminating the registered counselor credential. Read the complete report.
