Meeting of the Board of Regents | March 2008

SUMMARY

Issue for Discussion

              The Associate Commissioner for the Professions will discuss a range of topics that relate to the Professional Practice Committee’s oversight of the regulation of the 47 licensed professions. 

Reason(s) for Consideration

              For information and possible policy guidance.

Proposed Handling

              The report will be presented to the Professional Practice Committee at the March 2008 Regents meeting.

Procedural History

              This discussion was started at the February 2008 meeting of the Professional Practice Committee. At that meeting, Committee members asked that a separate meeting be scheduled to discuss these items in detail. In anticipation of that more detailed discussion, the current discussion will provide background and perspectives on recent strategies, achievements, and challenges related to the oversight of the professions by the Office of the Professions, the Board of Regents, and the Professional Practice Committee.

Background Information

              The Associate Commissioner’s report this month will focus on the following items:

• Issues related to the corporate practice of the professions, including health services in correctional facilities in New York City and in-store retail health clinics.

• Testimony presented before the New York Assembly Health Committee regarding the role of the health professions in a system of health care funding that emphasizes primary care and universal coverage.  Part of that testimony described the workforce trends in the health professions, and asked that these trends be factored into all anticipated solutions toward the goal of universal coverage.

• Office of the Professions Leadership Forum – Approximately 100 representatives of professional associations, state board chairs, staff from the New York State Senate and Assembly, and OP staff met to share priorities relating to the regulation of the professions in the upcoming year with a focus on the four core commitments of the Office of the Professions:

• State-of-the-Art Licensing and Registration
• Improved System for Practice Clarification
• State-of-the-Art Discipline System
• Maximizing OP Efforts to Contribute to P-16 Efforts to Improve Student Performance

              At the Leadership Forum, teams led by OP managers described initiatives that will positively impact all of our processing and practice responsibilities. As suggested by the co-chairs of the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee in January, OP plans to schedule future discussion and action items for the Committee regarding the work of the teams and the office’s strategic plan, including discussions of the relevant policy issues.

• Information will be shared relating to legislative proposals that impact on the professions, including Regents priority legislation to create a funding mechanism for the prosecution of illegal practice, and legislation to update the CPA scope of practice.