CLEAR

Health policy researcher calls for making changes permanent

A health policy researcher with the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice calls for some state actions and changes to the healthcare system in response to COVID-19 to be "boundless and permanent." In this article, he focuses on deregulatory trends in healthcare policy: reciprocity of occupational licenses, relaxing requirements for inactive licensees to return to practice, expanding scope of practice, lifting telemedicine regulations, and temporarily suspending continuing education requirements.

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Australia: higher threshold for reporting concerns about impairment

The mandatory reporting requirements for doctors who treat other health practitioners have changed, with the threshold raised to "substantial risk of harm" to the public. The previous threshold was "risk of harm."  The Australian Health Practitioner Regulation Agency recognizes that "mandatory notifications are an important part of patient safety" but also wants to "ensure that practitioners with health issues feel safe to seek treatment."

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ARPL: "rigorous licensing is . . . appropriate and necessary"

In response to Florida Governor Ron DeSantis's State of the State address calling for occupational licensing reform, John Johnston and Skip Braziel with the Alliance for Responsible Professional Licensing explain in this article that "rigorous licensing is not only desirable, but appropriate and necessary" for some professions and urge lawmakers to be mindful of unintended consequences of licensing reform. They refer to rigorous and ongoing education, examinations, and experience as standards for entry rather than "barriers" to entry. They claim it is unreasonable to expect the public to be able to determine if a professional has the qualifications necessary to do a job safely and competently.

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And also be on the lookout for a CLEAR podcast episode in February featuring Skip Braziel and David Cox with ARPL.

UK: Legal Services Board considers continuing competence

The Legal Services Board in the UK has issued a call for evidence from the regulatory organizations for lawyers regarding how they ensure the continuing competence of their licensees. Currently, legal professionals do not undergo formal assessment of competence after initial licensure but must demonstrate the completion of continuing professional development. The LSB is asking for a definition of competence and competence assurance, an assessment of consumer expectations of competence, and a comparison of quality standards in the legal sector and other sectors.

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Illinois to require sexual harassment training

A new statute in Illinois will require all professionals licensed by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation who must complete continuing education to have one hour of that continuing education in sexual harassment and prevention training. The statute will come into effect for those renewing their licenses after January 1, 2020.

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Social Work England finalizes CPD requirements

Social Work England, the new regulator for social workers, has finalized the requirements for continuing professional development. Registration for social workers will now be ab annual requirement, with required CPD to be recorded online. Social workers who do not submit any CPD during the December 2019 - November 2020 registration period will be subject to disciplinary action. Previously, social workers only had to declare that they had completed CPD, with a small percentage being audited to submit proof of CPD. Moving forward, registrants will have to supply a reflection on how the CPD impacted their practice and which CPD standards it met. Social Work England will evaluate the CPD as to how the learning impacted the registrant's practice.

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England: new CPD requirements for social workers proposed

Social Work England, the new regulator for social workers effective December 2, is proposing to require licensed practitioners to record evidence of at least one continuing professional development activity in the new online CPD account within the first year renewal period. Those who do not comply could be removed from the register or have conditions placed on their registration. The online system will offer flexibility with both structured and free-text templates and a variety of file types able to be uploaded. Consultation on the proposal is open until October 17.

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Illinois licensure laws effective January 1, 2019

Several new licensure laws have gone into effect in Illinois, including

• streamlining licensure by endorsement for social workers, therapists and counselors
• allowing for a Tax Identification Number instead of Social Security Number for license applications
• allowing barber, cosmetology and esthetics students to take the licensure exam while still a student
• requiring at least one hour of sexual harassment prevention training for CE requirements

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Update: Philippines PRC reviewing CPD Law

The Philippines legislature has requested the Professional Regulation Commission to reduce the requirements necessary to comply with the Continuing Professional Development Act of 2016. Lawmakers agreed that the mandatory requirements should be less onerous. The PRC also noted that lack of funding was causing issues with implementation of the Act.

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New opioid therapy e-learning program for healthcare professionals

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada has launched a case-based e-learning program for healthcare professionals on the topic of opioid therapy. "The program was developed based on a needs assessment of medical and surgical specialists who identified a number of recurring, complex issues that they face when managing or prescribing opioids for patients with acute or chronic pain." The course focuses on screening practices, identifying patients at risk of harm, ongoing monitoring, and determining how to discontinue or taper opioids appropriately.

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