A legislative committee in British Columbia is proposing changes to "streamline and modernize the province’s health professions regulatory system, to increase transparency and to put a 'relentless focus on patient safety.'” One aspect of the changes would allow consumers more information online about complaints, actions and sanctions against health professionals. Another aspect of the plan calls for the 20 health regulatory colleges to be consolidated into 5 - podiatrists would join physicians and surgeons, midwives would join nursing professionals, and the four oral health colleges would become one. Other changes would be an umbrella entity to oversee the colleges and equal numbers of professional and public members on boards. Comments are sought on the proposed changes through January 10, 2020.
December 05, 2019
BC: steering committee proposes changes to healthcare regulation
May 22, 2019
Article highlights recent trends in professional regulation in Canada
An article published by Field Law reviews changes in the Canadian regulatory arena over the past six months, including trends toward "societal and political skepticism of the value of self-regulation," establishment of independent oversight bodies, consolidation of regulatory organizations, inclusion of a majority of public members on Councils, merit-based appointments to Councils rather than election of members, and the loss of self-regulation in favor of government control of some professions. The author urges regulatory bodies to "batten down the hatches" and "ensure that the captain is firmly on the wheel."
February 06, 2019
Indiana: consolidation bill meets criticism
A bill under consideration in Indiana would consolidate several licensing agencies and eliminate others, such as hearing aid dealers and auctioneers. In hearings, the Indiana Midwives Association spoke against moving the Certified Direct Entry Midwifery Committee under the Board of Nursing. Representatives also spoke against eliminating the committee of hearing aid dealer examiners, citing safety concerns of unlicensed practice.
October 11, 2018
Arkansas: agency consolidation proposal
The Arkansas governor has released a proposal to consolidate 42 state agencies down to 15 in an effort to "allow for increased coordination within similar programs, . . . improved management control,. . . and more support and accountability" to the boards. The state Department of Finance and Administration has estimated annual savings of $15 million beginning in fiscal year 2021. Health-related regulatory boards would be placed in the Department of Health. Other occupational and professional licensing commissions and boards would merge into a newly created Department of Labor and Licensing. The proposal indicates that boards would maintain their supervisory licensing authority and that their special revenues would stay in place.
June 05, 2018
Missouri bill would establish strict requirements for future regulations
A bill passed in the Missouri General Assembly and awaiting the governor's signature would establish strict requirements for proposals to regulate new professions. All bills to regulate an occupation or profession would be reviewed according to the following criteria:
- Unregulated practice could cause harm and endanger the general welfare, and the potential for further harm and endangerment is recognizable;
- The public can reasonably be expected to benefit from an assurance of personal qualifications; and
- The general welfare cannot be sufficiently protected by other means.
Within two weeks of filing a bill for a new regulation, the Department of Professional Registration would be required to submit information to the General Assembly on:
- the number of individuals subject to regulation and information about the associations and organizations representing the practitioners
- why the public is not qualified to select a competence practitioner without assurances of qualifications
- the nature and extent of potential harm, including descriptions of any complaints against practitioners within the past five years
- a description of voluntary efforts made by the practitioners to protect the public and why these are inadequate
- economic impact of the regulation, including direct cost to the government and indirect costs to consumers
- projected increase or decrease in availability of services to the public
- why existing legal remedies are inadequate to address harm
- list of other states that regulate the profession, copies of their laws, and evidence of the effect of the regulation
- details of previous efforts in the state to regulate the profession
- national industry standards of minimal competence and whether the proposals exceeds these
- method to finance the regulation and associated financial data
The bill also covers a broad range of issues related to redefining "certification" to be a governmental function, limiting the right to use the title "registered" to those required to be registered with the state, suicide prevention training for health care professionals, updating definitions related to dietitians, transferring duties of the Interior Design Council to the Division of Professional Registration, repealing good moral character requirement for barbers, reciprocity for cosmetology licenses, establishing registration for hair braiders, allowing an intervention program for nurses with substance use disorder, and establishing psychology interjurisdictional compact for telepsychology.
Read the bill summary or full bill text
October 31, 2017
British Columbia: nursing colleges to merge
Amendments to the Health Professions Act will allow the College of Registered Psychiatric Nurses of BC, College of Licensed Practical Nurses of BC, and College of Registered Nurses of BC to amalgamate, providing greater consistency and one point of contact for nursing professionals and patients. The legislation will allow for the appointment of an administrator for a health professional college. The amendments will also allow infection control breaches to be reported directly to public health officials instead of through the college investigation process.
June 28, 2017
Update: Kentucky board reorganization delayed
Thirty-nine Kentucky licensing boards have been notified that an anticipated July 1 executive order to reorganize the boards has been delayed without a new effective date yet established. The Public Protection Cabinet indicates that they "continue to fine tune the reorganization plan."
June 21, 2017
Kentucky governor considers reorganization of regulatory boards
Kentucky's governor has indicated plans to sign an executive order that would include consolidation of several boards and change the way executive directors are appointed to the boards. Proposed changes would allow the governor to appoint executive directors to the boards, with one director overseeing several boards. The number of members on the boards would be reduced to five. Kentucky's attorney general plans to challenge the governor's authority to reorganize the professional boards. Concerns about the restructuring have been raised related to staffing, control of funds and representation on the boards.
March 29, 2017
Two Oregon state boards could merge
The Oregon Board of Psychology and the Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists would merge staffs if the governor's proposed budget is approved. The proposed budget is a 21% increase from the 2015-2017 budgets for both boards and also includes an upgrade to the online database system and an additional two staff members. Under the merger, both boards would keep separate funding streams and expenditures. The merger would allow additional staff to be assigned to licensing issues and complaint handling for the growing number of licensees. Another part of the proposal is a $40 increase in licensure renewal fees for counselors and therapists, fees which have not been increased since 2002.
February 13, 2017
UK to consider health regulator merger
The Health Secretary in the UK is publishing a consultation paper on a proposed merger of the health regulatory bodies. Under the proposal, nine health regulators could be consolidated into one new super-regulator to oversee over a million health professionals, some of the regulators could be merged, or the nine regulators could remain separate but work more closely together.
