Meeting of the Board of Regents | February 2008

SUMMARY

Issue for Discussion

              The Associate Commissioner for the Professions will provide the Professional Practice Committee with information on a range of topics that relate to that 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 February 2008 Regents meeting.

Procedural History

              A brief form of this discussion was initially scheduled at the December and January meetings of the Higher Education and Professional Practice Committee.  In January, the Co-Chairs of that Committee agreed to reschedule it for this month in order to more fully identify recent strategies, achievements, and challenges related to the Office of the Professions and the oversight of the 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.

• An update on the implementation of the Clinical Laboratory Technician law, and the many discussions and legislative proposals related to necessary revisions.  The Regents will also be provided an update on the proposals for educational licensing standards and the anticipated discussions with stakeholders and the legislature about the responses from post secondary professional programs to suggested standards.  

• 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 set out 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 OP (see attached presentation or go to http://www.op.nysed.gov/leaderforum-112807_files/LeadershipForumSlides-11-28-2007.ppt):

• State-of-the-Art Licensing and Registration
• Improved System for Practice Clarification
• State-of-the-Art Discipline System
• Maximization of 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 last month, 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.