CLEAR

Ontario: transitional council registrars

Joyce Rowlands will serve as Registrar of the transitional Council of the College of Psychotherapists and Registered Mental Health Therapists of Ontario and Basil Ziv as Registrar of the transitional Council of the College of Homeopaths of Ontario. Read more.

President's Message by Rosemary McCool

CLEAR’s eagerly anticipated International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation is just days away, and I’m excited that in Dublin we’ll be welcoming nearly 100 attendees from Australia, New Zealand, Ireland, Nigeria, the United Kingdom, Canada, and the United States.  The Congress will provide an important opportunity for information-sharing and dialogue on timely regulatory issues that affect us all, regardless of jurisdiction, profession or occupation. If you would like to participate in this international event, there is still time to register for the Congress.

Read full message.

US: twittering associations and agencies

Almost the entire world knows by now that Twitter.com provides a way for social network members to share "life between blog posts and e-mail" in 140 characters or less. A quick check shows that regulatory associations and agencies are twittering away. A few examples:

- National Association of State Boards of Accountancy

- NCARB News - National Council of Architectural Registration Boards

- National Association of State Boards of Education

- NCSBN Interactive (e-learning portal for nursing regulators) - National Council of State Boards of Nursing

- American Association of Certified Public Accountants

- Legal Technology Resource Center (LTRC) - American Bar Association 

- LicensingXPress - Washington Department of Licensing (includes all license types)

Wisconsin: e-credentials for online renewals

For licensees renewing online, the Department of Regulation and Licensing (DRL) says it will deliver credentials to inboxes, not mailboxes. Licensees will receive e-mail alerts when their renewed credentials are ready for local printing. Additional copies of the credentials may be printed, where permissible by law, for no additional charge. Read more.

South Africa: striking doctors told to work

Doctors participating in a strike may be removed from the register if they do not return to work. The public may report physicians who fail to provide treatment by contacting the Health Professions Council of South Africa (HPCSA). Read more. 

UK: Digital Britain

The Digital Britain Final Report sets forth steps for using the digital revolution to reform public services while strengthening the economy. The practical actions set forth include providing universal broadband service by 2012. This access will allow for unprecedented change in all service areas, including home e-healthcare.

Colorado: funeral home, crematory, and athletic trainer registration

Beginning January 1, 2010, the Department of Regulatory Agencies will begin registration of Funeral Homes and Crematories as well as Athletic Trainers. Jerry Kopel, known to CLEAR as the initiator of sunset legislation, writes about the resurrection of mortuary regulation after 25 years, saying that "no bill is ever really dead in the Colorado legislature." Read more.

UK: new pharmacy regulator

In spring 2010, the new and independent General Pharmaceutical Council (GPhC) will begin regulating pharmacists and pharmacy technicians, replacing the regulatory activities of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB). This separation of regulation from profession is intended to bolster consumer  confidence. The GPhC will register all pharmacists regardless of work place and will consult on professional standards this fall. Read more.

California: waiting room controversy

The state medical association is taking exception to a medical board’s proposal that all doctors’ waiting rooms display a sign stating “Medical doctors are licensed and regulated by the Medical Board of California.” The 48-point type sign would provide the board's website adddress and a toll-free phone number for making complaints about physicians. The proposal is a belated response to a mandate that by 1999 regulatory agencies begin establishing a process to let consumers know they exist. The board earlier maintained that compliance was reached through a display of credentials on office walls and physician name tags. Read more.

Florida: hodge-podge bill signed

Governor Crist has signed HB 425, containing an assortment of items falling under the Department of Business and Professional Regulation's authority. Among other things, the new law establishes additional grounds for professional discipline and makes several changes to examination requirements. Professions affected include talent agents, building code administrators and inspectors, professional engineers, certified public accountants, realtors, barbers, cosmetologists, architects and interior designers, construction trades, and electrical contracting. Read the enrolled bill.