The New York state comptroller's office has conducted an audit of the State's Education Department and found problems concerning nursing regulation. The audit found that the Department is failing to conduct investigations within the time limit allowed by law. It also found inadequacies in the background check process for licensure applicants and monitoring for criminal behavior of licensed nurses. Legislation aimed at fixing the problems has stalled in the Assembly due to issues around protecting the due process rights of licensed professionals. The bills would have required professionals to report criminal convictions within 30 days and given the Department authority to summarily suspend the licenses of professionals suspected of extreme misconduct. The comptroller's recommendations include closely tracking investigations, strengthening moral character requirements, and researching best practices of other states.
October 17, 2017
