CLEAR

President's Message by Kate Nosbisch

Three months from now, CLEAR will be holding its 28th annual conference in Anchorage, Alaska. Attendees from more than 20 professions and 22 jurisdictions have already registered for what will be a valuable and memorable event. It will cap an exciting year for me as president and for the organization more broadly. Since my last column, I attended the World Health Professions Conference on Regulation in Geneva, with over 400 attendees from more than 60 nations. It was an honor to truly feel part of a global community of regulators and to see the vital work of public protection that is occurring across the world. CLEAR presented a poster display at the conference and CLEAR’s Executive Director, Adam Parfitt, and I had an opportunity to showcase all that the organization has to offer, as well as to promote the International Congress on Professional and Occupational Regulation, which CLEAR will host in Dublin, Ireland on July 2-3, 2009. Registration will soon open for this event and additional information will be sent to all list serve subscribers shortly. For those of you who were unable to attend the event in Geneva, you may be interested in reviewing the presentations which are now accessible online.

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Illinois: will it release a list of attorneys?

The Attorney Registration and Disciplinary Commission has refused to turn over a list of the state's lawyers to a web-based company that assigns grades to individuals whose names it posts online. The company, Avvo, has now petitioned the state's supreme court, saying it has already received lists from 30 states and has posted the information from more than a dozen. New Jersey also balked at releasing the names of its attorneys, but relented after after Avvo filed a petition with the state's supreme court. Read more.

Canada: CNA turns 100

The Canadian Nurses Association (CNA),the national professional voice of registered nurses,  is celebrating 100 years of service. Canada Post has issued a commemorative stamp and CNA has released of a centennial edition of the revised Code of Ethics for Registered Nurses. Read more.

Connecticut: health care registry expanded

Saying that “Consumers often know more about the waitress at their local diner than they do about their doctor or chiropractor,” Governor Rell signed a law requiring additional health professions to comply with the State Physician Profiling system. Read more.

Arizona: expert witness law unconstitutional

An Arizona appellate court says the law setting qualifications for expert witnesses in medical malpractice cases violates the doctrine of separation between the branches of government and is unconstitutional. Read more.

California: separate regulatory entity for dental hygienists

Governor Schwarzenegger has signed Senate Bill 853, creating the Dental Hygiene Committee, a new and independent regulatory entity to be housed with the California Dental Board. The law is effective 1 January 2009. Read more.

Nevada: medical board to post malpractice histories

In the latest action related to an outbreak of hepatitis C  that has kept the Nevada Board of Medical Examiners in the news for weeks, the board has decided to post more information on physicians' malpractice histories. Read more. Read the board's press release about the outbreak.

Texas: medical board conducts town hall meetings

The Texas Medical Board is holding a series of town meetings and licensing seminars for both practitioners and the public. Following a 62% increase in filed complaints over the past two years, the board would like to know more about the cause(s) of the increase. Doctors will receive information on the types of complaints received and how to avoid making common errors. Read more.

Minnesota: calling naturopaths doctors upsets other providers

Beginning the first of July 2009, Minnesota naturopaths will be regulated, a status they have sought for almost a century. The new law (MN Statute 147E) will permit naturopaths to call themselves doctors, a change which has resulted in outcry from other health care providers. Read more.

Ontario: foreign-trained docs could work right away

Health Minister George Smitherman says upcoming changes will permit foreign-trained physicians to work immediately without facing unnecessary regulatory barriers. Among the likely options are allowing doctors currently practicing in countries with comparable delivery systems to work under a transitional license while completing any necessary requirements. Read more.