CLEAR

UK meta-regulator publishes interim report on nursing regulator

The Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence has published an interim report on the United Kingdom Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) as part of a strategic review of the regulator. The report includes 16 recommendations "in relation to organisational purpose, structure, governance and leadership, including the management of operations by the executive of the NMC and the oversight of its Council", with a wider range of issues to be covered in the full strategic review, which is to be published in June 2012.

Recommendations include the appointment of Council member with a financial qualification, to assist in the effective oversight of finances, and an improvement in the quality of management information. Additional recommendations relate to business information, decision-making structures and governance, as well as identifying the qualities that a future Chief Executive and Chair should have.

Interim report

Illinois: DFPR audit shows need for improvement

The state Auditor General has released a report on the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation listing several areas of noncompliance. The findings include not exercising adequate controls over computer inventory (52 computers containing unknown data were not accounted for) and a failure of the enforcement unit to properly perform and/or document enforcement activities. Read the report synopsis. Read the full report.

Texas: podiatric board report

In Performance Measures at the Board of Podiatric Medical Examiners the state auditor says the board's average complaint resolution time is 416 days, with 43% of complaints resolved within six months.  

Washington: DOH accountability report

The state auditor has released an accountability report for the Department of Health (DOH) covering the period July 1, 2007 through June 30, 2008. Two internal problem areas are noted, including security and monitoring of cash receipts. The department says it does not have adequate staffing to comply in full with the recommendations. DOH is responsible for several consumer protection areas, including the licensing and certification of 62 different types of health professionals. Read the report.

Maine: fiscal analysis of boards and commissions

State Boards, Committees, Commissions, and Councils — Opportunities May Exist to Improve the State’s Fiscal Position and Increase Efficiency has been released by the Office of Program Evaluation and Government Accountability (OPEGA). This fiscal analysis identifies several areas for potential savings, including "occupational and professional licensing boards that have largely, but not completely, consolidated administration." It also identifies boards that may have overlapping responsibilities, such as those with respective responsibility for guides, whitewater guides and whitewater safety.

Washington: comprehensive report on health professions

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.

Oklahoma: new audit reports

The State Auditor and Inspector has released audit reports on three state boards. There were no major recommendations for improvement. Read the reports:
Board of Nursing 
Board of Examiners for Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology
Board of Examiners for Long Term Care Administrators

West Virginia: acupuncture performance review

The West Virginia Auditor's Regulatory Board Review: Board of Acupuncture concludes that the continued licensure of the profession is necessary to protect the public. The 2006 board report says it licenses 47 practitioners, 21 of whom are resident in West Virginia.

Arkansas: consolidation of boards recommended

The Arkansas Division of Legislative Audit has issued an update to the Analysis of Regulatory Boards and Social Welfare  Commissions emphasizing its recommendation for "consideration of the consolidation of regulatory boards, including the administrative and investigative functions of the boards, into a single department or division."  Read the update.

Alabama: reports on boards and commissions

The State of Alabama Department of Examiners of Public Accounts has issued several reports on the state's boards and commissions as well as an updated report on Minority Representation in Authorities, Boards and Commissions.  An observation for several boards is that a provision in their licensing laws requiring that applicants must be United States citizens may be unconstitutional. The State Pilotage Commission further requires that its applicants must be Alabama citizens.  Additional observations include that a public position created on the Board of Public Accountancy has never been filled; the statutory deadline for licensure of court reporters was not met and there is no workable deadline after which practice without a license is an offense; failure of the Board of Funeral Service to use electronic technology limits its ability; and there is no education or experience prerequisite for certification by the Board of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors. Read the reports:
Board of Public Accountancy 
Board of Auctioneers   
State Pilotage Commission 
Board of Examiners in Counseling 
Alabama Board of Court Reporting   
Board of Funeral Service   
Board of Heating and Air Conditioning Contractors
Massage Therapy Board
Board of Podiatry 
Board of Examiners in Psychology
Alabama Real Estate Commission   
Alabama Securities Commission